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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23876140">Holy Grail of MikaYuu</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/legendarybatlord/pseuds/legendarybatlord'>legendarybatlord</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>No. 6 (minor appearance), 終わりのセラフ | Owari no Seraph | Seraph of the End</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>80s references, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Rockstar (battle of the bands), Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angel Hyakuya Yuuichirou, Angel/Demon Relationship, Demon Hyakuya Mikaela, Guren is a Sensei/martial arts, Lacus isn't a good guy to date, M/M, Magic, Magic The Gathering - Freeform, Mika isn't ticklish, Mika the romantic, Nanny Ferid, Nicknames for Mika, Vampire Hyakuya Mikaela, Wizard Mika, Yuu neko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:09:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>64,723</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23876140</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/legendarybatlord/pseuds/legendarybatlord</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>I saw some other people doing MikaYuu Bingo 2020 and got inspired. This is my first fanfic attempt ever, so I hope it's decent. I'll post each prompt when I complete it, but I might get behind on posting sometimes, depending on how busy I am. Enjoy! As I mentioned later in the notes, I'm not officially signed up for the bingo event, but the prompts are really interesting and fun.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hyakuya Mikaela/Hyakuya Yuuichirou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>72</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Day 1 - Neko Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yuu is a neko, and he's sick and tired of people assuming they can take in stray cats. That is, until he finds he has a soft spot for a particular stranger.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yuu was just minding his own business, on his way home from martial arts practice. Sensei Ichinose had made him stay late <em>again</em>. Yuu didn’t understand why it was allowed for the Sensei to pick on him specifically when he was only in the middle belts. It wasn’t like he needed extra attention or help in class, but the guy always ended up teaching him individually, and when Sensei Ichinose was teaching, time didn’t matter. Class ended when he wanted it to. Which usually meant being stuck after dark repeatedly doing the same form until the Sensei was satisfied. Yuu would’ve quit, but he refused to. He wasn’t someone who quit, even when an obnoxious man decided to make his time at the dojo a living hell.</p><p>On this particular day, it was also supposed to storm. Yuu liked storms just as much as the next guy, as long as he was safely in his home, but the way the sky had a sickly green hue, lighter than it should’ve been at that time, he knew it would happen before he made it to his front door. Lightning flashed in the distance. He grumbled when the air pressure changed. Then, the first drop of water fell. Yuu had enough time to tuck himself into an alley and hope he wouldn’t become completely soaked. He sat near a cardboard box.</p><p> </p><p>Mika had just had the worst date ever. He wasn’t sure why he’d even agreed to go on it in the first place. The guy he’d agreed to see was his partner for a science project at university, and he was just as bad at being romantic as he was at math. Mika didn’t want to judge him, but he definitely didn’t want love and that man to get anywhere near each other in his mind. If anything, he was just annoyed by him. He’d pestered him for a week to go on a date with him, and then he’d made Mika pay for them. He just thought about how he’d have to work twice as much to make up for the money he’d wasted on the man’s stupid frappe. His brows were knitted with frustrated memories of the date.</p><p>Then, it started to rain. Mika smiled a little, forgetting some of his annoyance at the storm. He happened to love storms. Raising his eyes to the sky, he let the rain fall down his face and wet his hair. Then, when he finally resumed his walk home, he caught sight of something he knew could brighten his day: a stray cat.</p><p>Mika walked through the rain, liking how his boots splashed in the puddles, and crouched down beside the cat, which was black and had the most vibrant green eyes he’d ever seen. It stared at him for a moment before hissing.</p><p>“Do you need a home?” Mika asked compassionately.</p><p>The cat narrowed its eyes at him and mewed, but since it looked so pitiful and soaked, Mika took that to mean yes. He cautiously reached out to pick up the cat. It took all of Yuu’s self-control not to lash out, because he didn’t want to make such perfect skin bleed. Of all the times Yuu had almost been whisked away to a stranger’s home, he found himself less reluctant this time and even curious. He could tell that the guy who was holding him close to his chest was near his age, and he seemed nice enough.</p><p>Mika soon made it to his apartment and opened the door. Once inside, he used as many paper towels as he could to dry the cat off, apologizing as he did so that all of his towels were in the laundry. Yuu was grateful to have his fur dry and relaxed some. The apartment was nice and warm compared to outside, and he wasn’t uncomfortable in the other’s presence.</p><p>“I’m Mika,” Mika said, lowering his face to be level with the cat’s. “I bet you’ll be a better companion than Lacus,” he added, still disgusted by the date he’d gone on. He sighed and slowly lowered his hand to gently pet the cat’s soft fur on its head.</p><p>Yuu had to admit that being pet by Mika felt nice. He wasn’t sure how he’d react once he found out that he was a college age guy, just like him. Perhaps he’d still think he was a good companion? Yuu wasn’t sure how he’d feel about that, or if he’d even want it. Mika was one of those people who’d taken him home without debating how it made him feel, but maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. Yuu found himself enjoying his time in the small apartment more than he had been enjoying his time on the street. Plus, Mika seemed upset about something, and Yuu felt an impulse to be there for the stranger who had shown him kindness.</p><p>Mika finally stopped running his hand through Yuu’s fur, and Yuu’s first impulse was to nuzzle his head back into his palm. He controlled himself, though, that’s what self-discipline was all about. Mika stretched and muttered something about needing to go to bed. He left the room, leaving Yuu sitting on the coffee table. Then, he came back in pajamas and picked the cat up softly.</p><p>Yuu spent the night in Mika’s bed, huddled into the crook of his neck and breathing in his scent. He scolded himself for wanting to do the same thing in his usual form. In the morning, however, things became different.</p><p>The storm had passed, allowing the sun to shine freely through the curtains. Mika grumbled and rolled away from them, bumping into some form in his bed. He groggily opened an eye and saw a <em>human</em> form beside him and jumped awake. He wracked his brain, making sure he hadn’t ended up having a one-night stand, despite how impossible that would’ve been. Mika just wasn’t that type of guy, but for a moment he worried he had been drugged by the pestering jerk. Then, he remembered what had happened and scrunched up his face in confusion, observing the man next to him who had beautiful, albeit messy, black hair.</p><p>For some reason, Mika wasn’t panicked to find him there. Something about him felt familiar. Then, he groaned and thrashed a little in his sleep, and the noise reminded Mika of the cat somehow. He froze in place, trying to connect the dots. <em>Could it be…?</em> He wondered if he’d accidentally subconsciously wished the cat would turn into a person, like in fairytales about people helping magical beings, but surely that was impossible and silly. Then, Yuu opened his vivid green eyes and stared at the boy who was staring at him. Mika had no doubt that he was somehow connected to the cat.</p><p>“Mika,” Yuu muttered, blushing and pulling the sheets closer. “I’m naked.” Mika decided that he loved his voice.</p><p>“I’ll get you some clothes,” Mika said, acting unusually calm for the situation. He got out of bed and dug around for something. “But only if you’ll grant me a wish. You’re a special spirit, right?” He turned to look at Yuu, who sat up and clutched the blankets to his chest.</p><p>“I can’t really grant wishes. I will tell you I’m impressed, though. Most people don’t realize I was a cat,” Yuu replied, not mentioning that he usually didn’t give people the chance. “I’m Yuu.”</p><p>“Hi, Yuu.” Mika gently tossed the clothes at him and turned away to give him privacy. “Sorry you had to hear me talking about my horrible date last night. I needed someone to rant to, and I didn’t think about how annoying it could be, because I guess I usually don’t consider that when I talk to animals?” He frowned.</p><p>“It’s fine. If you were serious about wanting a companion, though, we could probably be friends, or something,” Yuu offered.</p><p>The way Yuu said ‘or something’ made Mika blush. He wanted to turn around and inspect the boy’s face, because he had to admit he was much more attractive than Lacus. “Yeah, or something,” Mika finally replied.</p><p>Yuu fell into silence after that and pulled the clothes on. He stepped off of the bed, approached Mika with catlike stealth, and wrapped his arms around his waist in a hug. Mika leaned back into him and relaxed, and Yuu ran a hand through his fluffy blonde hair, repaying him for the pets he’d given him the night before.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Day 2 - Soulmate</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mika is kind of like an adventurer for hire, and Yuu is a retail worker. Yet, somehow, their lives are connected.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sometimes, when Yuu looked at his reflection, he saw a shadow of a different boy staring back at him, as if somewhere, a boy his same age, but with longer blonde hair and bright beautiful blue eyes, was also staring into a mirror. Other times, he saw flashes of a life that wasn’t his. He saw the ocean, he saw forests with impossible large trees, he saw hanging moss, and he saw people he’d never met before. It was only ever glimpses, but somehow he knew that all of it was real and happening to the boy he sometimes saw in his reflection. He wondered if the boy also saw things from his life.</p><p>Yuu’s life was dull compared to what he saw in flashes from the other life. He lived in a suburb of a city that was rotting from the inside out. Everything was gray, even the sky. He longed for color and adventure, and he longed to meet the strange boy that he somehow knew existed in real life. Yuu was taking a gap year, because he couldn’t afford college yet, and his parents wouldn’t help him. He worked two full-time menial jobs in retail and tried to save enough to start. He’d debated joining the military before, but he didn’t do too well with authority figures. Plus, he had a feeling it would be even less interesting there.</p><p>When Yuu slept, he didn’t dream of anything. He was too exhausted for his brain to form dreams. He wanted a break more than anything, but he couldn’t find a way to get one. Then, one morning, someone knocked on his door. He growled something about stupid traveling salesmen before opening it. Clutching the doorframe to keep from falling, he stared up at the blonde, blue-eyed boy standing there with a worn leather suitcase.</p><p>“H-hello?” He asked shyly.</p><p>“Hi, come in,” Yuu said quickly, opening the door. He couldn’t keep his eyes from widening to their full extent and getting stuck there.</p><p>“Thank you. I’m Mika,” Mika began, walking into the small house and taking off his shoes. “And I thought you should know that I’ve been seeing pieces of your life. I know how it sounds, but I just see random things. I had to wait to put together those pieces to figure out where you live, which wasn’t easy.”</p><p>Yuu nodded and couldn’t stop staring. “I’m Yuu. I have the same thing. But why are you here?”</p><p>“I need someone to come with me, because there’s a dangerous quest I need to do. You seemed promising, especially since I think I have a connection of some sort to you.”</p><p>“A quest?” Yuu asked, trying not to laugh.</p><p>“Yep. Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. I need to stop a railroad company and take their supplies,” Mika explained, his eyes glinting.</p><p>Yuu stayed quiet for a moment. He knew almost nothing about Mika, but he trusted him and he wanted to go with him, especially if it meant running away from his responsibilities and seeing the world. He finally nodded and smiled. “I’ll go with you!”</p><p>Mika returned his smile. “Great! I’ll let you pack. Is it alright if I stay here for the day?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Day 3 - Role Reversal part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This one ran on the long side, so I separated it into a few different chapters. Mika has been friends with Kimizuki, Yoichi, Shinoa, and Mitsuba since high school (Shinoa longer back to middle school), and they all decided to go to college together. However, Mika starts to feel left out when the others end up as couples. Mika loves his friends to death but being the fifth wheel is getting old. He debates finding someone for himself, but who could possibly mesh well with his established group?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mika had been in college for a year, and in that year, everything had turned upside down. Kimizuki and Yoichi went from the lighthearted flirting and longing looks of high school to a full-fledged serious relationship during the first semester of freshman year, and Shinoa and Mitsuba had come out of the closet together the next semester. Apparently, they had been dating in secret for almost a year, but as soon as they were out, they were eagerly sharing PDA wherever they were. Mika wasn’t sure how to feel about it. On one hand, he was happy his friends were free to be themselves and that they had all managed to stick together after graduation, but on the other, he felt betrayed and alone. There didn’t seem to be anyone for him, and he hated to admit how terrified he was to search.</p><p>It was in this grim state of mind that Mika prepared for his first day of sophomore year. He was supposed to be spending the evening with his friends, but he couldn’t bring himself to see them while he felt so down. The only upside he had to look forward to was that he had gotten all of the classes he wanted for the semester: oceanography, romantic literature, and sculpting. Just to give himself a distraction from the gloomy pit that wanted to pull him in, he double checked his supplies. All of his necessary books were there, stacked against the wall as overflow from his tiny bookshelf, his sculpting tools from high school were neatly placed in a carrying case, and he had a protractor and compass and calculator, still in their packs, just in case oceanography required more math than he expected.</p><p>After glancing over his supplies, he felt the restlessness settling in. When Mika felt like this, he knew he had to do something, or else his mind would start to race, and he’d wonder if there was something he missed. Grabbing his white hoodie and black headphones, he left his dorm to take a walk. Walking alone was often the only thing he could do to keep his mind clear and stay calm. If he didn’t have his friends, he often wondered if he would be fine as a loner or if the wistful feeling he felt when he saw people making fond memories would crush him.</p><p>Music began to drown out his thoughts, and he focused on his footsteps, the golden and orangey leaves, and the crisp air on his face. Mika shut his eyes and sighed quietly. His mind very rarely settled into serenity. The moment was short-lived, however.</p><p>“Hey, do you know where the Bridge dorm building is?” Someone asked Mika loudly, snapping him out of his mental silence.</p><p>Mika opened his eyes and pulled his headphones off to give his full attention to the boy standing in front of him. He was a bit shorter than him, with messy black hair and lost green eyes. In the moment he looked at him, Mika noticed that the boy’s entire outfit was somehow color-coded to match his eyes and hair.</p><p>“What?” Mika asked quietly.</p><p>“Do you know where the Bridge is? I’m supposed to be living there,” the boy repeated, sounding frustrated and almost frantic. Mika noticed he was dragging a suitcase and a dolly with a few boxes on it and wearing a backpack.</p><p>“Yeah, it’s back there and to the left,” Mika said, pointing back the way he’d come. “I could help you carry something, if you’d like?”</p><p>The boy appeared to almost flinch. “I don’t need your help,” he said a bit too harshly. “Thank you,” he added more softly.</p><p>“If you’re sure. Good luck,” Mika said, trying not to look amused. The boy seemed stubborn or prideful, and Mika hadn’t seen anyone struggling so much and refusing help before.</p><p>Mika kept walking, keeping his headphones around his neck, and glanced back at the other’s progress. He half expected the boy to change his mind and call him back. The boy took a few steps before he had to step down at the curb, and then something fell off of his stack of boxes. Mika spun around, feeling as if he had willed it to happen, and picked it up. It was a teddy bear.</p><p>“You dropped this,” he called calmly, holding the bear in his hand.</p><p>The boy turned to look at him and his eyes widened. In the middle of the street, he let go of his stuff and ran back to snatch the toy from Mika. “Thanks,” he said shortly, tucking the bear into the back of his bulging backpack.</p><p>“I’m Mikaela, by the way,” Mika said before the boy could run away in his embarrassment. “Let me know if you need any help finding anything else.”</p><p>“Like I’ll run into you again,” the boy muttered. “I’m Yuuichirou.” He turned his back on Mika and walked a little quicker.</p><p>Mika wanted to reply, to say that he lived in the same building as him, to remind him how the college wasn’t too big and chances were, they’d meet again, but he remained silent. He only realized he was staring when the boy rounded a turn in the sidewalk and vanished from view. Criticizing himself, he pulled his headphones back onto his head and turned them all the way up.</p><p>“Hey, I thought you were sick!” Shinoa shouted, catching Mika’s attention even over the blaring music. He stopped walking to locate her and hurriedly shut off his music. He had been listening to romantic 80s music, after all, and he didn’t want her to make fun of him for the rest of his life.</p><p>“I felt a little better,” he said with a smile.</p><p>“Did you see that train-wreck of a boy carrying all of his stuff at the same time?” She asked, laughing.</p><p>“Oh, you mean Yuu?” Mika replied, not completely remembering the rest of his name due to the thoughts flying around in his mind. “Yeah, I offered to help him, but he didn’t want me to.”</p><p>Shinoa blinked at him, registering what he’d said, and then a devilish smile spread across her face. “You already have a nickname for this boy?” She asked with a feigned gasp. “I must’ve missed some love-at-first-sight action! The romance literature expert suddenly meets the love of his life, and it’s exactly like all the stories say,” Shinoa teased dramatically.</p><p>“That’s not it! I just forgot the rest of his name,” Mika defended. His cheeks wanted to warm up at the assumptions she was making. He wasn’t usually so vulnerable to her teasing.</p><p>“I still can’t believe I missed your interaction with him! He growled at me when I tried to help him,” she said with a giggle. “It must’ve been something special, if he actually talked to you.”</p><p>“How do you even know who he is?”</p><p>“I was assigned to be his tutor. He transferred here from a smaller community college,” she replied.</p><p>“How can you be his tutor when we haven’t even started classes yet?” Mika asked. He still couldn’t even picture Shinoa tutoring people.</p><p>She shrugged. “I need to get back to my dorm. There’s an assignment due on the first day of school,” she lamented with a pout. She walked past him before turning around and saying, “I just want you to find happiness.” Mika didn’t reply and pretended he didn’t hear her. He didn’t need her making things even more complicated and awkward than they already felt.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Day 3 - Role Reversal part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Shinoa is all about the nicknames, and Mika is too easy to make nicknames for. Mika really likes romance literature and movies.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>That night, Mika found that he had more trouble than usual sleeping. He stared at the ceiling and felt hyper-aware of every noise in the building. Each set of footsteps towards the bathroom could have been <em>him</em>, even though Mika hadn’t found any sign of him. Just knowing the boy was nearby was driving him crazy. It was at around two in the morning when he realized he was starting to develop an unreasonable crush. He didn’t even know the transfer student, and their only interaction hadn’t been the best, and yet he kept wondering if he could be the answer to all of his problems. Yuu…ichirou, that was it. Yuuichirou was already going to be tutored by Shinoa, so he’d already have ties to the group. It wasn’t too much of a stretch to invite him to start doing things with them, right? And then he could keep Mika company.</p><p><em>I have to see him again,</em> Mika reminded himself. None of his plans worked without some exchange of contact info. After deciding to go out of his way to try and run into the boy, Mika finally drifted to sleep.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Mika woke up early the next morning with a start. He realized that there was a possible chance of contacting the boy without relying on running into him in person again. Impatiently, he logged onto his laptop and opened his email. Opening a draft, he began to type Yuuichirou, hoping there wouldn’t be more than one person with the same name. At least it wasn’t as common as Mikaela. He sighed when only one result popped up: Yuuichirou Ichinose.</p><p>After the first obstacle was overcome, Mika realized he had no idea what to say in his email. Some students didn’t even check their emails, and Yuuichirou didn’t seem like a particularly organized guy.</p><p>
  <strong>Settling In</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Hey Yuuichirou,</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>I’m the guy who told you how to get to your dorm yesterday. I hope you found it alright and that you’re adjusting well. As I said, let me know if you need any help. I’m friends with your tutor, so I’ll probably see you around. Also, we were planning on going hiking next weekend. Would you want to join us?</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Best,</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Mikaela</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Mika stared at the email for a few minutes, wondering if it was creepy to contact someone through their school email. Before he could second guess himself, he clicked send. Then, he started to get dressed for his first class of the day. After getting dressed, he brushed his teeth and adjusted his long-ish blonde hair in the bathroom down the hall. He usually let his hair grow out and then let his adoptive mom cut it when he visited home for the holidays. Humming with nervous energy about his first day and the email, he returned to his room without meeting anyone. He gathered his notebook, pencils, pens, and the first book for his literature class and placed them in his dark blue backpack.</p><p>Before leaving, Mika refreshed his email and felt a small twinge of disappointment when he didn’t have anything in his inbox. He’d give it time. He was usually fairly patient, so he didn’t understand why he wanted an answer this very moment. Yuuichirou probably wasn’t even awake yet, or maybe he had a morning class. He wore his headphones and backpack and locked his dorm on his way out. Not many people locked their dorms, but Mika didn’t want anyone to see what a mess his room was. He was usually an organized person, but he was running out of space for his various books and pottery.</p><p>Leaving the building, Mika almost expected to see a messy head of black hair, but he hardly saw anyone at all. Only one girl passed by, waving meekly at him when he looked at her. He waved back, although he didn’t know her. <em>Did campus always feel so empty?</em> He thought.</p><p>“Hey, Mika!” Someone called from behind, and he spun around and flung his headphones around his neck. It was only Yoichi, who lived one building over.</p><p>“Oh, hey,” Mika said quietly with a smile.</p><p>“Did I scare you?” Yoichi asked, looking up at him with an amused glint in his eyes. “You jumped like a cat.”</p><p>“No, I was just distracted,” Mika replied. He wasn’t about to tell Yoichi he had expected someone else to be calling his name. Shinoa teasing him was enough for now; he didn’t need Yoichi and, by extension Kimizuki, getting into his business. He could just picture Yoichi giving him a knowing look any time he was in the same room as Yuuichirou or Kimizuki telling him he was stupid.</p><p>“You’ll be fine. You’re the most dedicated student out of all of us,” Yoichi reminded him reassuringly, thinking Mika was having first day anxiety.</p><p>“Yeah, thanks,” Mika said and slowed his pace to walk with his friend. “How was yesterday?”</p><p>“It was really fun! We played truth or dare, and Shinoa ended up getting stuck in a tree.”</p><p>Mika snorted. “That does sound fun. Sorry I missed it,” he said. He imagined that there had been a lot of romantic undertones to their game and was secretly glad he’d missed it. He had hoped truth or dare was a thing of the past, to be left with their high school days, but apparently not.</p><p>“Shinoa texted me last night. She said she found you walking by the park,” Yoichi said with a slightly hurt look on his face. “Were you avoiding us again?”</p><p>Eyes wide, Mika stared at his friend as if he’d been slapped. <em>How did he know?</em> “I… just needed to get ready for my classes.”</p><p>Yoichi shook his head and stopped walking, holding Mika’s shoulders even though he was much shorter, and it was difficult for him. “The others might not be as perceptive, but I’ve noticed the way you act around us, ever since we started dating. You’re jealous, you feel left out, am I right? It’s not fair to you when we’re practically always going on double dates with you being the fifth wheel. Is that how you feel?”</p><p>Mika pursed his lips and lowered his eyes to his feet. “You’re completely right.”</p><p>Yoichi let go of him and smiled sympathetically. “That’s why I asked Shinoa to invite the new guy to come with us on Saturday,” he said. “I think you might have a lot in common.”</p><p>“How does everyone know about him?” Mika asked, exasperated.</p><p>“Shinoa has been telling me about him. Did you know he’s adopted too?” Yoichi asked quietly.</p><p>“I doubt he’ll want to go with us,” Mika said.</p><p>“Why wouldn’t he?”</p><p>“I invited him, too. He’ll probably feel too overwhelmed.” Mika tried not to sound upset.</p><p>“He might not be,” Yoichi said, trying to stay optimistic as always. “I promised Kimizuki I’d meet up with him before class, but I’ll see you later! Don’t feel so defeated just yet, Mika,” he encouraged him with his trademark bright smile, and Mika couldn’t help but feel a little better. Yoichi was so nice and caring, and Mika still had no idea how things worked between him and Kimizuki.</p><p>Mika checked the time and hissed in annoyance. He’d have to run to make it in time. He wouldn’t be caught dead late for his favorite class on the first day! So, he sprinted the rest of the way, taking a short cut through one of the buildings on the way. Some students snickered as he passed by, because he didn’t look very graceful when he was jogging with a bag full of books slamming into his lower back. He didn’t have time to feel embarrassed by their judgmental looks or comments. Finally, he found the classroom and stole inside before anyone could say he was late.</p><p>With a sigh, Mika took a seat near the middle of the lecture hall. His excitement for the class almost pushed aside all of his thoughts from earlier, except that he was studying romance. Oddly enough, he had always been fascinated with the genre, despite the way it made his chest ache with longing. He wanted the relationships and beautiful perceptions of the world he read about.</p><p>Before class started, someone came into the room clumsily and groaned when almost all of the seats were filled. This someone was forced to sit right next to Mika. He turned casually, hoping to find the perfect situation in which Yuuichirou was in the same class as him while they studied romance, but instead it was just some guy Mika had only ever seen leaving frat parties completely drunk. Mika wrinkled his nose in disgust and annoyance. The guy had probably woken up with a hangover and that was why he stumbled into the class late. It seemed like all he would encounter that day was disappointment.</p><p>The class was almost as wonderful as Mika hoped it would be. Their first reading was from France during the medieval period. Mika, although he knew that the medieval era wasn’t as great as most depictions made it, couldn’t help but imagine himself in the context of idealized medieval England. <em>Would he have been a lowly servant, a knight, or royalty? </em>Perhaps all three, even. Considering his strengths, he decided he would most likely be an artisan. <em>Do artisans even have a place in romances?</em> Maybe that was his problem all along: he wasn’t in the right societal role for romance. He shook his head with a smile at how ridiculous he was being, because anyone could find love.</p><p>After class ended, Mika had some free time before oceanography. He walked to the cafeteria to get some brunch since he hadn’t eaten breakfast. He paid for the buffet with his card and got himself a plate of food. Then, he sat down in the emptiest section of the room and pulled out his phone. His phone usually stayed in his pocket, because no one texted him anything important on class days, but he couldn’t wait to check his email until that evening. Connecting to the internet, he held his breath and watched his inbox. Ten emails appeared, and he scanned the senders quickly. The last one, who sent the email half an hour ago, was Yuuichirou. It was so short, he almost saw the whole response without clicking on it.</p><p>
  <strong>Sure, not like I have anything better to do. I’m fine, thanks.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>-Yuu</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Mika inhaled when he read the email. He didn’t know what to make of it, because the boy had accepted his invitation, but he sounded begrudging. Then, the nickname reminded him of Shinoa, and he hoped she didn’t say anything embarrassing. He decided to text her just in case she hadn’t invited him yet.</p><p>
  <strong>Yoichi told me you were going to invite Yuuichirou to our hike. Don’t worry about it! I already did :) </strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>No. Way! My little blondie is finally growing up!</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>He’s coming, right?</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Don’t call me that! I thought you stopped using that nickname when we were 15. Yeah, he’s coming</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Would you rather I called you Pony Boy?</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>or Westley?</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>NO! Ferid has already called me both of those before</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Lmao, your ‘nanny’ is so weird. Has he forced you to watch any more movies lately?</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Luckily, he draws the line at coming to visit me at college, so no</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>I might have to take his place and educate you~</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Why do you like the same movies as him?</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>You’re telling me you don’t? Mr. Romance-is-the-only-real-genre?</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Ok, fine. The Princess Bride is pretty awesome</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Shinoa didn’t respond, but Mika could just tell she was smirking triumphantly. He debated sending a reply email to Yuuichirou but couldn’t decide if he was supposed to address him by his full name or his nickname. He wasn’t even sure what he should say, so he left it simple.</p><p>
  <strong>We’re meeting Saturday at noon in front of the Bridge. See you there!</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>-Mika</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Day 3 - Role Reversal part 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>There is probably some plotting going on, and Mika can't decide if he's going to regret inviting Yuu or not.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Usually, when they went hiking together, Mika was in charge of taking pictures for everyone. He took nature photos, group pictures, and sometimes selfies. It helped distance himself from the others, especially when they would wrap their arms around each other or steal the occasional kiss. Everyone would be having a good time, and he’d pretend he was too. He sometimes spent time thinking about how he’d feel if he had someone to talk to at such times, because he wouldn’t bring himself to tell them to stop showing so much affection around him. He loved his friends, after all, and he wanted to support their love for each other no matter how painful it was for him to watch. This time, however, things would be different.</p><p>The week had gone by quickly, as all weeks focusing on classes seemed to, and Mika went to sleep Friday night with so much anxious and excited energy that he almost didn’t hear when he got a text. He checked his phone.</p><p>
  <strong>I bet you’re thinking of your Yuu rn</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Actually, I’m trying to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow!</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Aww nighty night! You didn’t deny you were thinking about him ;)</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Mika plugged his phone in to let it charge. He had a feeling Shinoa would make his life a living hell the next day under the pretext of helping him. She probably even told the others her assumption as if it was fact. Even though he had no clue what he would wake up to, Mika found it easy to sleep that night.</p><p>The next morning, someone knocked loudly on Mika’s dorm door, and he was glad to have a single because it would’ve woken anyone in the room up. He stretched and slowly sat up before walking to the door and opening it. He snapped to awareness when he saw green eyes and black bedhead.</p><p>“Oh, you aren’t dressed yet,” the boy commented, noticing his sweats and tank top.</p><p>“Yeah, you woke me up. What do you need?” Mika asked good-naturedly.</p><p>“Shinoa said to come get you so we can go.”</p><p>“Oh, okay just give me a second to get dressed,” Mika replied quickly.</p><p>“I’ll wait here,” Yuuichiro replied.</p><p>Mika quietly shut the door, silently cursing Shinoa. He didn’t want to be seen in such a state, and he hoped his room wasn’t visible. With a groan, he dug through his drawers, trying to find something decent yet fine for the outdoors. He felt the need to make up for being seen half-awake in his pajamas. He ran his fingers through his hair and checked his face in a small mirror on the wall before opening the door again.</p><p>In the hall, Yuuichirou seemed to take in the sight of his outfit for a moment, and Mika turned to lock his door just in case he was blushing at the attention he was given. Then, he straightened up and turned back to him.</p><p>“Ready?” He asked with a smile.</p><p>“Yeah,” the boy replied, looking annoyed even though he hadn’t been a moment before.</p><p>Mika wondered why he was so hard to figure out. “Let’s go.” He walked ahead, assuming he would be followed out the front door.</p><p>Outside of the dorm building, Shinoa sat in the driver’s seat of a large Hummer. Mika had forgotten how huge her car was. He walked up to the front seat to talk to Shinoa, aiming to quietly scold her for sending Yuuichirou to wake him up, but she started talking first.</p><p>“Oh blondie, you’re fine sitting in the back with Yuu-chan, right?” She asked, and the way she said the second nickname sounded like she was trying to imitate Mika’s voice.</p><p>Mika frowned at her and hissed, “I thought I told you not to call me that. And don’t you dare use that nickname for him.”</p><p>“Alright, I’ll leave that to you,” she replied with a wink and unlocked the doors.</p><p>With a sigh, Mika turned to the boy. “We have the back seat,” he said, looking for some kind of reaction.</p><p>Yuuichirou just nodded and climbed past him into the vehicle. Mika glanced back at Shinoa and regretted it when he saw her smirk. He quickly climbed past Yoichi and Kimizuki, who were sitting in the middle seats, and sat beside Yuuichirou.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is all I have so far of this one, but I'm thinking of maybe continuing it later.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Day 4 - Bed Sharing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yuu has a sleepwalking problem. It seems his subconscious just can't get enough of visiting Mika. Luckily, Mika is always there for him.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mika sat up in bed, staring at Yuu who was standing at the foot of the bed eerily. They were neighbors, which made it easy for them to get close, but Mika hadn’t quite gotten used to Yuu’s odd habit yet. Somehow, Yuu was able to sleepwalk down the street and pick the lock to Mika’s house, and it unnerved him. Even though he had started having a romantic relationship with him, seeing him appear unconscious in the middle of the night still set his hair on end.</p><p>Getting up slowly, Mika carefully guided Yuu’s form to his bed and pulled the sheets over him. Once Yuu settled down, Mika went downstairs to close and lock the door with a sigh. He wasn’t sure how many times he’d have to do this, and he debated convincing Yuu to just sleep at his place always. Mika climbed into his bed beside Yuu and admired his sleeping face for a few seconds before switching off his lamp and lightly cuddling him.</p><p>Yuu smiled a little in his sleep and nuzzled into Mika, feeling safe. He found it odd how on most nights, he went to sleep in his own bed and woke up in Mika’s without any recollection of the in between. At first, he had blamed Mika.</p><p>“Of course I wouldn’t kidnap you from your house to sleep with you,” Mika said with a chuckle. “I’d just ask you to stay. You sleepwalk, Yuu-chan.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Day 5 - Vulnerable</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mika supposedly doesn't have a ticklish spot. Yuu is determined to prove him wrong by any means necessary. This is the only one I've written so far in which Mika is a vampire.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The day would come that Yuu would find it: Mika’s ticklish spot. Mika had somehow trained himself to be invulnerable to tickling, but Yuu was determined to find some weakness. He just had to catch his boyfriend off guard. He set up a puzzle and told Mika that if he solved it in one hour, he’d kiss him however he wanted and for however long. Determined, Mika sat down to figure out the puzzle. It was high stakes, after all: he wanted to earn some kisses. Meanwhile, once Mika was entirely engrossed in finding the corners and edge pieces, Yuu snuck up behind him and poked him in the sides, causing him to jump, squeak and spin around.</p><p>“I finally found it!” Yuu shouted triumphantly. “Your weak spots are your sides!” He jumped around the room.</p><p>Mika rolled his eyes and sat back down to solve the puzzle. He’d get Yuu back for that. He just had twenty more pieces to go in over forty minutes. Yuu finally calmed down enough to realize that Mika was focusing with a vengeance on the remaining puzzle pieces, as if committing them to memory. He felt nervousness prickle his lower back and wondered what he had done.</p><p>With fifteen minutes to spare, Mika turned around with a triumphant smirk. “Pay up,” he said. Yuu walked around to see the puzzle and couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t ever been able to solve it, and Mika had done it in forty-five minutes.</p><p>Mika stood up and gently spun Yuu to face him. Yuu stared at him, wondering what he’d have in mind. Lightly pinning him to the table, to the puzzle Yuu realized, Mika landed a slow kiss on his lips. He kept kissing him, occasionally speeding up or slowing down but not pulling away, for a long time. Finally, he released Yuu’s tingling lips to let him breathe.</p><p>“Geez, Mika, I think you forgot that I have to breathe,” Yuu gasped.</p><p>“Sorry, Yuu-chan, but you promised as long as I wanted.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Day 6 - Royal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Queen Tepes assigned Mika to be the decoy prince to keep her only son safe until he was old enough to take the throne. To Mika, it was only a job and way to keep his mother from losing her home, because he was paid handsomely. That is, until it was time to pick a suitor.<br/>Prince Yuu has been training all his life to be the most desirable candidate for marriage, and he can't mess the day he presents himself to the highest royal family up. However, it doesn't go as planned at all.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Queen Tepes wasn’t willing to admit that she was ill, and having only one son as an heir was too risky. She wanted her bloodline to continue ruling over the land, for her family had been royalty for generations. There were too many nobles who were willing to take her place on the throne, even though it wasn’t particularly comfy and provided more stress than it was worth the majority of the time.</p><p>That’s where Mika came into the picture. He wasn’t supposed to be in the castle, he was supposed to be at home with his single mother, farming the land and doing odd jobs for the landlord so they wouldn’t get thrown into the wide world without anything. Instead, there he was in prince’s clothes, standing beside the <em>Queen </em>of all people and pretending to be her son. Mika was a decoy. He existed solely to make sure the real prince wasn’t killed.</p><p>The new job, which he had been chosen for without his opinion in mind, paid well enough to keep his mother safely on their small plot of land, so Mika didn’t mind too much. Living among royalty was like traveling to a whole different world. He learned etiquette so he could pass as a true prince, and he learned different forms of combat to defend himself. Mika was like a human target, after all, so he needed to fend off any enemies.</p><p>Due to the Queen’s paranoia, Mika often left the castle grounds or attended events in the prince’s place. More of the public associated Mika’s soft and reserved smile with the prince more than the actual prince’s face. Meanwhile, the prince was free to explore his many extravagant hobbies within the castle walls, growing more reclusive and self-interested by the day. Mika didn’t mind that the true prince was becoming a real jerk, because the public loved Mika. He was so understanding of the commoners and genuinely happy to talk to them that they couldn’t believe he was nobility, and yet they never saw past the decoy plan.</p><p>Mika had survived five assassination attempts by the time he was twenty. Word spread fast, and he was soon seen as not only understanding and gentle, but also a secret badass who couldn’t be killed. He had quite the image built and didn’t even consider what would happen when it was time for the true prince to take over as a king. Mika was just having too much fun meeting new people and learning how court life worked to worry about it.</p><p>At least, Mika didn’t become aware of how much trouble would arise from switching back to normal until it was time for courting. He assumed that potential marriage partners would visit the real prince and get to know him, since they were supposed to be intimate with him, but the Queen insisted that suitors were just as dangerous as the general public, so Mika met them all instead. Mika found it odd, since he had different tastes than the prince, but he accepted for his mother’s sake. He hid his uncertainties behind a polite smile and waited for the first suitor in the greeting room.</p><p>Prince Yuu certainly didn’t come from the highest level of royalty. His family had been struggling up through the ranks of their kingdom for centuries, and he was just high enough to be considered as a suitor. He hadn’t been asked how he felt about having his life handed over as a move for more power, but he had been trained his whole life for the occasion, so he didn’t question the motives of marriage. He had trained in as many areas as possible to present himself as a well-rounded and interesting choice, hoping to outshine the others. Marrying into the Tepes family would help his family for generations to come. It was the only chance he got to prove that his life thus far had been worth something, and he was determined not to mess it up.</p><p>After giving himself a quiet pep-talk, Prince Yuu walked into the room with as much casual confidence as he could muster, not looking at the person he was supposed to be impressing until he was only a few feet in front of him. When he finally did raise his green eyes to see him, however, his whole body froze. Prince Tepes was beyond beautiful. He looked like a figure straight out of a painting, sitting there calmly with the sunlight gleaming off of his golden hair and sea-blue eyes that held turmoil below their calm surface. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but this wasn’t it. He’d assumed the man he was going to force himself to marry was going to be undesirable, cruel, and ugly. So far, however, he already failed to be two of those things.</p><p>“Hello,” Mika said quietly. He tried to hide his conflicted emotions by adopting the royal façade of politeness expected of him. He hated to admit it, but he was jealous that the real prince could possibly end up with such an attractive man. He didn’t even know if the prince would accept a marriage to a man or not. What if Mika was completely charmed by this prince before him and he only got rejected later? Would Mika then be allowed to sweep him off his feet? Mika was so startled by his train of thought that he didn’t notice when the prince stared at him, dumbfounded, instead of answering. “There’s no need to be nervous,” he coaxed gently, flashing a genuine smile. He wanted to see the man smile so badly.</p><p>Prince Yuu swallowed, wanting to object that yes there was a reason to be nervous. His whole life he’d prepared for this moment, but he hadn’t expected to find himself speechless. How was he supposed to impress the epitome of radiancy and royalty? He suddenly felt completely out of his depth, but there was nothing else to do but keep going. He cleared his throat, but the same couldn’t be said of his whirling mind. “My name is Prince Yuuichirou, but you can just call me Prince Yuu, or even Yuu,” he rambled.</p><p>“Welcome to Tepes Kingdom, Yuu. I’m,” Mika faltered. “Prince Tepes.” His throat wanted to close around the word and choke it out so his real name could replace it.</p><p>Yuu wasn’t sure how to react when Mika felt the need to use his last name and Yuu’s first name. The different levels of formality made his head hurt. He’d never gotten used to the etiquette side of royalty and preferred to be straightforward and honest instead. “Nice to meet you. I have traveled across the land to meet you and present to you my many talents and skills that I’ve been developing,” Yuu said with a small bow. “And, if you are impressed, I hope to learn your first name,” he added before his mind could catch up. He hadn’t planned on acting in such a manner towards the prince, for it was his only chance, but something about him influenced his behavior like no other.</p><p>Mika’s lips quirked in the beginnings of a smirk. He liked Yuu’s boldness and was curious to learn what skills he possessed. “Very well, if you impress me, my name will be yours.” He wanted to end the formal ceremony right that instant and climb down to be level with Yuu, tell him all of his secrets, and steal him before the prince could even consider him, but he was sitting in his place to secure his mother’s future, so he played his part.</p><p>There were so many skills Yuu could show him, but he couldn’t decide what to start with. Dancing, music, martial arts? He didn’t want to be intimidating, but he also didn’t want many chances of messing up out of nervousness. Finally, he decided to ask what the other would like to see. “What would you like me to present?” He asked. It was common knowledge which talents were expected of a learned suitor.</p><p>For a few seconds, Mika observed Yuu standing there, waiting for an answer. He pretended to think the question over, but each moment he stalled was just another moment before he had to reveal his secret or lie to the prince. Each moment was also another he could spend memorizing the way Yuu looked and making himself believe that the prince was really his to obtain. “Can you dance?” He asked softly, knowing the answer already.</p><p>Yuu nodded and took a few steps away, preparing to do a solo performance like he’d practiced so often. Then, he noticed Prince Tepes raising his hand to halt him. His face flushed in confusion, but he stopped to see what he had already done wrong.</p><p>Mika chuckled and slowly rose from his seat. He stepped down the stairs until he was on the same level as Yuu, only two feet away. “I’d like to test your skill with a partner dance,” he said calmly. “Are you a leader or follower?”</p><p>In his shock, Yuu almost stumbled away from the prince. He hadn’t been told about this possibility! Of course he knew how to dance with a partner, but he didn’t think he’d be asked to. “I’m a leader,” he said, raising his eyes to meet the captivating blue orbs slightly above him.</p><p>“Good. If you manage to lead me well, I’ll whisper my name into your ear,” Mika said with a touch of flirtation in his voice.</p><p>Yuu blushed and tried to keep his hands from shaking. It couldn’t possibly be any more different from his expectations, but he couldn’t let his nervous energy show. He had to be confident, otherwise he doubted the prince would allow him to lead easily. Taking a step forward, he lightly placed a hand on the other’s waist and held out his other to hold out to their side.</p><p>Mika was curious how it would turn out, because he wasn’t too good at ballroom dancing himself. He assumed that if Yuu was adept enough, he’d be able to lead him no matter what. With a snap of his fingers, music began to play from seemingly nowhere. He placed his hand on Yuu’s shoulder and patiently waited for him to find the beat.</p><p>The phantom music unsettled Yuu, because the room had been empty the entire time he was there, but he wasn’t about to let it distract him from his moment. He took a deep breath and stepped forward in time with the music, noticing when the prince at first watched his feet and reacted just a second after. He wondered if somehow Prince Tepes didn’t know how to dance but decided it could just be an act. His father had warned him that these tests could be devious and cruel. Soon, they were dancing gracefully, their bodies feeling like two extensions of one being. Yuu lost track of time when he saw those blue eyes observing him up close from under long golden lashes, as if inspecting a valuable piece of art or a beautiful sunset.</p><p>When the music ended, Mika was reluctant to let go. He was comfortable so close to Yuu. His heart was racing with panic and adoration. Then, he remembered his promise and used his arm on Yuu’s shoulder to pull himself in closer and whispered. “My name is Mika. You’re a wonderful dancer.” He released Yuu and took a step back from him, his blue eyes looking sad beyond compare.</p><p>“If you’re impressed, then why do you look so upset,” Yuu asked. He pushed down the impulse to fidget with his shirt. “Mika, do you wish to see me again?” The words were hard to force past the rising anxiety in his chest. Had he done something wrong?</p><p>Mika smiled. “I would love to see you again, but I’m afraid it isn’t me you’d be seeing if I chose you.”</p><p>“What do you mean?” Yuu asked, taken aback. His voice raised a little more than he had intended.</p><p>“I’m not the prince,” Mika found himself saying. It was the first time he’d admitted to his false identity since moving to the castle.</p><p>Yuu’s stomach dropped, and his eyes widened. “Then who are you?” He asked.</p><p>“A decoy. I make sure the real prince stays safe,” Mika explained quietly.</p><p>It was too much for Yuu to process quickly, so he blurted out, “Then what do I do if it’s you I like and not him?” He clamped his hands over his mouth. This wasn’t the plan! He wasn’t supposed to grow fond of anyone. It was just marriage. He was just there for marriage to secure what his family had been planning for generations. It was just marriage to someone other than this perfect person standing in front of him.</p><p>Mika stared at him, and it seemed it was his turn to be dumbfounded. “Yuu, I’m a commoner. My mother lives on rented land and grows crops for a living. You can’t possibly like me. It’s selfish of me to even consider you as someone I could be with. You want to marry into the main royal family, right?”</p><p>Yuu wanted to confirm that it was right, but did he really <em>want</em> that? He found himself spiraling into selfish thoughts. It wasn’t fair for his family to expect him to marry someone he didn’t like for the sake of power. “No, my father wants that,” he muttered. “You aren’t being selfish, you’re feeling normal emotions. This system isn’t designed for those.” He looked down.</p><p>“Then, what would you want instead?” Mika asked hesitantly. He was still close enough to touch the prince in front of him.</p><p>“I want to get to know you, Mika,” he confessed.</p><p>“Then know me you shall,” Mika replied quietly. “But we’ll have to be careful. I’ll figure out a way for you to continue to see me and to convince your father that you’ve been accepted.”</p><p>Yuu shook his head. “Don’t worry about my father. I’ll be back for you.” He handed his riding cloak to Mika as a token of affection.</p><p>Smiling brightly, Mika took the cloak and held it close. “I’ll send for you when I can.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'd like to note that I didn't sign up for the MikaYuu Bingo 2020 event, I'm just finding the prompts for inspiration. That said, check out the event if you want to find some great content and revel in the beauty that is this relationship! Their prompts are what's fueling these fanfics, so I wanted to give them credit where it's due.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Day 7 - Isolated/Trapped</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mika and Yuu have been held prisoner by a secret organization for years. Mika was taken from Yuu to be trained as a valuable hitman, but instead he plots to find a way to rescue Yuu and escape into the outside world.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Breaths burst from his mouth rapidly, and Yuu didn’t even realize he was hyperventilating. He was too focused on the separation he felt from the one person he felt he could trust. He had promised he would fight them when they came to take Mika away, but the day had come, and he hadn’t been strong enough to fight them all. Now, he was all alone in the room they had made their own. While Yuu was sitting alone regretting not being powerful enough to keep his promise to Mika, he pictured Mika being trained to be the next hitman for their organization against his will. Yuu knew he would listen to them to keep his life while trying to find a way to get out and return for Yuu. However, he tended to feel pessimistic about his lover’s chances.</p><p>In his gloomy state, Yuu reminisced about their times shared in the room he was in. He remembered the first time he’d seen Mika, and how broken and lost he’d looked until he’d looked up and seen Yuu sitting there. Some spark of wonder had appeared in those blue eyes that Yuu would never forget.</p><p>The first time they’d kissed, they’d both been shy about it and hardly let it last longer than a peck. Then, thrilled by how it felt, they’d rushed in for more and accidentally bumped foreheads. Yuu chuckled quietly at how funny and awkward that memory was. Inevitably, it led to his memories of other moments kissing Mika. Alone in the room together, they had spent hours finding the most amazing ways to kiss and show their affection for each other.</p><p>
  <em>Mika’s blue eyes had flickered shut when he was inches away, and he leaned in, confident that they would meet in the middle. Yuu, keeping his eyes open at first, had marveled at how the blonde could trust them when their first kiss had gone so wrong. Their lips met lightly at first, and they gently molded them to each other, pushing deeper eagerly. Yuu had felt his face and core heat up until he doubted he’d ever felt so warm in the sun. Growing confident, he’d slid his tongue out to lick Mika’s soft lips and easily found his inner mouth. Their tongues had danced for a few seconds before they went back to how they’d been kissing before. Yuu couldn’t even be embarrassed by the lingering spit on his chin, because some of it was Mika’s.</em>
</p><p>Yuu sighed when he realized he was crying over the memory. He curled up in the bed and tried not to focus on the lingering scent of Mika beside him.</p><p> </p><p>Mika watched the training video with quiet calculation on his face, although he wasn’t focusing on what was being taught to him. He didn’t want to learn how to kill people, he wanted to learn where they were keeping his Yuu-chan. Wistfully, he thought of his fondest memories of the boy.</p><p>
  <em>One night, Yuu-chan decided they would kiss anywhere except the mouth, just to see how Mika would take the challenge. When Mika started directly attacking his neck with kisses, Yuu-chan had let out the cutest squeak of surprise. The look on his face was priceless when Mika glanced up at him to make sure he was alright. Then, he continued kissing down his chest.</em>
</p><p>Mika’s face grew red while he thought of the memory. He hardly noticed the man on the screen in a military uniform yelling at the camera to seem intimidating. After the memory ended, he ran through his plan in his mind one last time. When the guard in charge of him began to unlock the door, Mika allowed his body to grow limp and pretended to be passed out.</p><p>The guard rushed over to check on Mika, feeling his pulse on his wrist that had been trailing on the ground. Mika took the opportunity to throw the man down onto the ground and luckily knocked him out. Quickly, he shut the door and changed into the guard’s outfit, tucking his hair up into the hat to hide it. Blonde hair was pretty noticeable in such a place. One step closer. “I’m coming, Yuu-chan,” he whispered.</p><p>Slipping out of the room, Mika locked the door and walked down the hallway as if he knew exactly where he was going. It was several minutes before someone stopped him.</p><p>“Where are you going?” A woman asked in a cold tone.</p><p>“I was told to check on the state of Prisoner 342,” Mika said calmly, glad he had memorized Yuu-chan’s number. It was tattooed on his back, after all.</p><p>“You’re going the wrong way. I hope you haven’t been drinking on the job,” she said with a grimace. “His containment is down this way.” She pointed down the hallway that split off to the left. “In room 15.”</p><p>“Thank you, sir,” Mika said, adding some gruffness to his voice that wasn’t usually there.</p><p>She walked past him without another word, and he resisted the urge to run down the hall she had indicated. Instead, he walked down the hall, listening to his boots clicking in the silence. He had heard such boots many times before, always harboring bad news. When he finally made it to the door, he hesitated. Yuu-chan might not recognize him at first, he realized, so he readied himself not to jump on the poor boy the moment he opened the door. His hands were shaking so much with nervous excitement that he almost dropped the keys before he could unlock the door.</p><p> </p><p>Yuu heard the doorknob rattling and knew it could only be one of two things. Either Mika had died, or it was his turn to become a hitman too, maybe even both. It had been too long for Mika to reasonably be coming back to rescue him, so it didn’t even come to mind. He waited on the other side of the door, ready to give whoever was there for him absolute hell. When the door opened, he made himself as intimidating as he possibly could and waited for his fate to be spelled out by those soft lips.</p><p>The guard quickly closed the door behind himself and faced Yuu with an unreadable face. Yuu was so full of adrenaline that he almost attacked him right then before a word could be said. The guard opened his mouth to say something, but Yuu cut him off.</p><p>“If you’re here to tell me my Mika is dead, just get it over with damn it!” Yuu demanded, tears welling in his eyes. “I can’t handle one more day without knowing.”</p><p>“Yuu-chan,” Mika said quietly, “it’s me. Everything’s going to be okay now.” He slowly took off the hat and let his blonde hair cascade around his shoulders and frame his face.</p><p>Yuu gasped. “You’re alive,” he said in disbelief and rushed to embrace Mika. The force of his hug accidentally pushed him over and they toppled to the ground.</p><p>Mika avoided hitting his head and grinned at his Yuu-chan. “I am,” he chuckled. “But we have to go before they realize I stole this outfit.”</p><p>Yuu nodded, understanding that they had to be careful if they were to escape. “Do you have a plan?”</p><p>“Of course I do,” Mika said, sitting up. He pulled his hat back on and tucked his hair back into it. The brim overshadowed his eyes. “Whatever I say, follow my lead.”</p><p>Before they left, Yuu planted a loving kiss on Mika’s lips. “I missed you.”</p><p>“I missed you, too.” Mika waited for Yuu to stand before getting to his feet. “But now, you’re going to be my prisoner.”</p><p>“Kinky,” Yuu joked with an eyeroll.</p><p>Mika gently grabbed his wrist and led him out of the room. He acted like he was dragging Yuu and was grateful that the boy acted alongside him, so he didn’t have to harm him. Mika hoped he’d miraculously find the exit, because the building was a lot more confusing than he’d planned on. He didn’t want to risk running into the same woman and asking for directions again, because that’d be suspicious. If only the hallways weren’t like a maze. He checked the room numbers periodically and hoped it was a good sign when they were going down.</p><p>Finally, past room 1, he could see the large metal doors that were their way out. He picked up his pace and Yuu kept up with him, no longer pulling against his grip. They were eager to get out. Unfortunately, there was someone waiting by the door.</p><p>“Hey, where do you think you’re taking that prisoner?” Ferid Bathory, an honored general in charge of the guards, asked suspiciously.</p><p>Mika knew that if he stopped to talk, they wouldn’t be able to make it. Any backup would be their downfall, so he found a taser gun in his pocket and shot him between the eyes. It was the most violent thing he’d ever done in his life beside knocking the other man out, and he stared at the general on the ground for a moment in shock, taking in what he’d done.</p><p>“Mika, we need to hurry!” Yuu shouted.</p><p>He snapped out of it, threw the gun, and scooped Yuu up in his arms. Now was their only chance, and Mika couldn’t let what he’d done get in the way. It wasn’t like he’d killed anyone or even drawn any blood. He ran for the doors and pushed them open with one hand while Yuu held onto his neck, carried bridal style. Past them, he picked up his pace. The sunlight was shining up ahead. He hadn’t seen sunlight in years.</p><p>Once they passed out of the shadow of the building, Mika hissed at how bright it was and shielded his eyes. Yuu squinted up at the blinding blue sky. After adjusting to the light, Mika continued to run, certain that more guards would be waiting to snipe them as they left. He made sure to zigzag slightly to throw them off. Only once they had reached the cover of leafy trees did he finally set Yuu down.</p><p>“We’re free,” Mika breathed, catching his breath. Yuu smiled at him, and his green eyes glimmered almost as bright as the sun filtering through leaves overhead.</p><p>“You did it, Mika,” he said, overflowing with admiration for his lover.</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Day 8 - Artist</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mika is Yuu's long-term crush in high school. He spends all of his time in the art room, so Yuu decides to take some art classes, even though he's never had the patience for art.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Splatter paint was the only art form Yuu had ever had patience for, but when he found out his long-time crush was going to be taking only art classes his senior year of high school, he made either the best or worst decision of his life: he signed up for two art classes.</p><p>Yuu showed up for his first day of ceramics, ready to find a seat right next to Mika and bond over how dirty yet relaxing it was to work with clay. He had been mistaken, however, because ceramics didn’t have normal seating like any other classroom. Since it was a studio class, they all set their backpacks by their seats and walked over to the other side of the room, where the tables for handbuilt and wheels for throwing were. He only half listened to the instructions their instructor gave. Mr. Shinya was calm and patient with his students, but his sense of humor rubbed Yuu the wrong way. He had expected his art teacher to be deep, brooding, and a tad eccentric. Instead, he got a man who was often late with excuses that were purposefully innuendoes.</p><p>While he wasn’t paying attention to the teacher’s calm explanation, interrupted every now and then by chuckles, Yuu was watched the way Mika hung onto every word. You’d think it was life or death, the way he was so focused, hands poised above the ball of clay, as if he could make something just by thinking about it and holding his hands over the material. He moved his head slightly, and Yuu was worried they’d make eye contact, so he quickly focused on his feet instead.</p><p>“Now, I need you all to find a partner. You know what they say: it takes two to make a thing go right,” Mr. Shinya said melodiously.</p><p>Between the panic of having to pair up with someone without looking at Mika and the general confusion he felt at the reference he didn’t get, Yuu felt like he was in a chaotic whirlpool when everyone started finding people to work with. He wondered how long it would be, or if he’d be stuck with someone terrible, and didn’t even move from the spot he’d been standing in to find a person. He was waiting for someone to inevitably walk up to him and suggest being partners, despite everyone probably knowing he had no idea what he was doing there.</p><p>“You don’t have a partner yet, right?” A quiet voice asked, and Yuu knew from the tone and inflection who it was without even taking his eyes from his shoes. He tensed up and slowly dragged his eyes up to look at Mika’s flawless face. Most teenagers their age had at least some acne. It just wasn’t fair that Mika had amazing skin, a good personality, and phenomenal artistic skills, and yet people still didn’t try to date him. If Yuu had been more forward about his crush, he would’ve fixed that a year ago, but there was always the chance of rejection. He didn’t even know if Mika was into guys at all. He could’ve been aromantic, for all Yuu knew about his love life.</p><p>“No, I don’t,” he finally said.</p><p>Mika nodded and stood beside Yuu, who was very aware of how close their bare arms were to each other. He was now even more distracted by their proximity and trying not to blush, while Mika quietly listened to the rest of the instructions. When the teacher had apparently stopped talking, Mika glanced at Yuu.</p><p>“Ready?” He asked.</p><p>“Sure,” Yuu said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. What were they even doing that needed a partner?</p><p>“Then sit down,” Mika said with a hint of amusement in his voice, motioning to a stool near one of the wheels.</p><p>Yuu swallowed, realizing they were diving right into something he had no clue how to do. He’d seen people work on a wheel before, and it looked very boring and difficult. Mika, meanwhile, set the ball he’d had on his desk down on the tray near the wheel for later. He plugged in the wheel, and it started to spin slowly. Yuu stared at the rotating wheel for a few seconds.</p><p>“Are you going to start?” Mika asked softly, meeting his eyes.</p><p>“I don’t know what to do,” Yuu admitted. “I spaced out when Mr. Shinya explained it.”</p><p>Mika chuckled quietly, but it wasn’t a mean laugh. It didn’t feel like he was laughing at Yuu, at least, even if that was what he was doing. He sat down beside him and quietly told him how to attach the ball of clay to the wheel properly so it wouldn’t move. Then, he carefully slid his hands over Yuu’s to show him how much pressure to apply to begin bringing the clay higher. He was right behind him and slightly to his right, whispering the steps and instructions into his ear. It was almost too much for Yuu, but he didn’t want to ruin the started piece of pottery and he certainly didn’t want Mika to stop.</p><p>“Hey, I didn’t pair you up so you could reenact Ghost,” Mr. Shinya said with a small laugh. “I had you pick partners, because we don’t have enough wheels.”</p><p>Seemingly embarrassed, Mika moved away from Yuu slowly enough to not throw off the balance of the clay, but as quickly as he could otherwise. Yuu could have sworn he hear him mutter ‘damnit’ right before he sat back in his chair to watch Yuu work on his own. Hands covered in warm, wet clay, he could feel the phantom touch of Mika’s hands on his. Eventually, he made a decent cup that was only a little lopsided.</p><p>“That’s really good for a first try,” Mika said encouragingly after Yuu had cut it from the wheel. Yuu found himself beaming at the praise while he carried the cup to the damp box.</p><p>Mika sat down and made a nearly perfect cup in only a few minutes, as if he’d been making pottery his entire life. By the time Yuu came back from storing his cup, Mika was cutting his off of the wheel and cleaning up. Yuu watched him in awe until he walked away to store his cup and wash his hands. When he returned, he smiled at Yuu.</p><p>“I’ve done this a few times,” he said when he saw Yuu’s wide eyes.</p><p>“Remember your partners, because you’ll be sharing a wheel again tomorrow,” Mr. Shinya called out once the bell rang.</p><p>Yuu felt like he was in a daze while he grabbed his backpack.</p><p>“If you want some pointers on how to make more balanced cups on the wheel, I usually spend my lunches in here,” Mika said. He was casually sitting nearby, because his next class was in the same room.</p><p>“You really spend all day in here, huh?” Yuu muttered, not intending to be heard.</p><p>“It’s better than being bothered elsewhere,” Mika said quietly, looking down.</p><p>Although he wanted to stay and demand who would dare mess with someone like Mika, Yuu had a class halfway across the school with a teacher who was strict about tardiness. “I’ll see you at lunch,” he said quickly and sprinted out the door.</p><p>After Yuu had left the room, Mika chuckled and said, “Cute,” under his breath.</p><p>“I’ve never seen you interact so readily with someone before,” Mr. Shinya commented cheerily. They were the only ones in the room for a few minutes between classes, so they often talked.</p><p>“I don’t think he’s ever taken an art class before, so I wanted to help him,” Mika said.</p><p>The art teacher laughed lightly. “It’s so obvious he only came in here for you. He was staring at you the entire first half of class. That’s why he had no idea what he was doing before you ‘helped him.” He said with air quotes. “You two really are too adorable to watch. I’ll leave the room open for you at lunch,” he added with a wink. “I have a meeting today.”</p><p>Mika blushed. “Thank you.”</p><p>Students began to trickle in, so Mr. Shinya wandered out of the room to run an errand before the next class. Mika busied himself sketching Yuu in his sketchbook. He stared at the captivating eyes, and even depicted in graphite, he thought he could imagine the life, wonder, and admiration in them when he’d seen Mika’s skill with pottery. The sketch didn’t even do his expression justice, for all of Mika’s talent. He sighed and shut his book before the sophomore sitting next to him could see what he was working on. Lunch was only in three hours, and he was already mildly nervous to see the boy again, especially after what Mr. Shinya had said.</p><p> </p><p>Lunch finally came around, and Mika didn’t feel like eating. He had drawn two other less developed sketches of Yuu since that morning. He waited for the boy to arrive so he could shut the door. Mr. Shinya trusted him to keep students out of the room who could mess stuff up, and he wasn’t about to betray that trust for his ridiculous crush he had on Yuu.</p><p>Finally, after several minutes of waiting expectantly at his desk, Mika heard Yuu jogging down the hall towards the room. It didn’t help that the art room was so far removed from almost everything. Mika calmly put his sketchbook into his backpack to pretend like he hadn’t been dreamily drawing the boy’s face for hours. Yuu set down his backpack and lunch tray and cracked his knuckles. Mika stood and quietly closed the front door and turned out some of the lights to make the room look empty.</p><p>“Okay, I’m ready,” he said with determination in his green eyes.</p><p>Mika smiled and led him to the wheel. He patiently explained several tips he’d learned through practice without demonstrating, because he didn’t want Yuu to have to get his hands dirty before eating. Yuu listened to him much better than he had to the teacher, he noticed.</p><p>“Thanks! I’m not very good with things that need patience,” Yuu admitted, rubbing the back of his head.</p><p>“You’ll get the hang of it,” Mika said optimistically. “You can eat now.”</p><p>Mika walked back over to his desk and sat down, watching Yuu stumble in the dim light a few times and stifling a snicker.</p><p>“Why are the lights out?” Yuu grumbled in frustration, as if he hadn’t noticed before.</p><p>“Sorry, I had to make it look like no one was here,” Mika apologized.</p><p>Yuu blushed and finally sat beside him to eat. After chewing for a few seconds, he glanced at Mika in the semi-darkness. When he looked away again, Mika pulled out his sketchbook and risked a glance at his drawings to see if he’d gotten them correct. He adjusted Yuu’s eyebrows a little.</p><p>“What’re you drawing?” Yuu asked, peeking over the edge.</p><p>Mika pulled the book away quickly and stared at Yuu. “Don’t look at a man’s unfinished art,” he scolded lightly. Then, he felt bad for his tone and relaxed with a deep sigh. The worst he could face was rejection, right? Or creeping Yuu out, he supposed. He set the sketchbook on the table.</p><p>Yuu studied the page of sketches for a second before looking up at Mika with a light blush. “They’re really good.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Mika muttered. He closed the sketchbook.</p><p>“Mika?” Yuu asked, and his voice wavered only a little.</p><p>“Hmm?” Mika hummed, turning to him.</p><p>Yuu gave him a small kiss on the cheek, immediately causing his face to heat up.</p><p>“You missed my mouth,” Mika teased softly. He gently took Yuu’s chin in his hand to angle it up and placed a proper kiss on his lips. Yuu shifted in his chair and kissed him back with a smile.</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Day 9 - Canon Divergence part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I have so many plans for this prompt, so I'll split it up and post the amount I have so far. Mika, Yuu, Akane, and seven other children were kidnapped from their families by Lest Karr and kept in the best health possible, awaiting their twentieth birthdays. Lest Karr, while not trusting anyone with his plan, has often mentioned awaiting the 'proper age' before moving forward with his ominous plot. Now, it's nearing Mika's birthday, and they're more desperate than ever to escape before they can learn what the vampire wants to use them for. They are presented with the most unexpected accidental ally in their escape.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lest Karr often mentioned the age of twenty being significant to his plans somehow. He moved in ominous ways that the vampires under him often didn’t even understand. For instance, they didn’t understand why he kept a group of about ten <em>humans, livestock, living blood bags</em>, under his care that no one was allowed to touch. He had heard many of his inferiors questioning his motives for keeping them at full health in containment together. It was a recipe for plotting and overthrowing him, Ferid Bathory often told him with a pout. Lest knew that he just wanted a taste of the growing children. He kept the keys to their room around his neck and tucked under his under shirt. No one would dare dishevel his clothes enough to steal it from him, because he was the strongest vampire in Japan.</p><p>Biding their time until they inevitably turned twenty, Mika, Yuu, and Akane tried to form a plan together. There had to be a way to escape the large storage room they were kept in. Most of the kids who had been kidnapped from their families were in their early to mid-teens, but the youngest was nine. Mika and Yuu were the oldest, both supposed to turn twenty that year, and Akane was eighteen. They had ben trapped in the same dimly lit room for five years, but they were always fed generously and escorted to take showers in pairs. Plus, there were enough beds for all of them. It wouldn’t have been so bad if they weren’t kidnapped and trapped there. Growing more desperate as time ticked down to their birthdays, Mika’s coming first in May and Yuu’s in October, they searched the walls for vulnerabilities or vents. When they didn’t find anything, Mika tried to hide his uncertainty behind a calm smile, but Yuu could see the worry in his blue eyes.</p><p>“At least I might be able to tell you what they do to me,” Mika offered.</p><p>Yuu refused to believe that Mika was suggesting just accepting what Lest Karr was planning for him. “No, there’s no way you’re leaving this room with him without a fight.”</p><p>“It’s April,” Mika reminded him. “We don’t have long.”</p><p>Swallowing, Yuu was at a loss for answers. He was so distraught his mind fell into a frenzy. He didn’t want Mika to vanish out the door without him, without the others, because he had a feeling the boy he’d grown accustomed to seeing every day would never return.</p><p>Akane glanced at them, because Mika’s whisper had increased in volume and urgency. She often stayed out of their planning sessions recently, because the older kids wanted to join in too when she did. Since it effected Mika and Yuu first, she kept the others from trying to interrupt or eavesdrop. With a reassuring smile, she returned to the board game she’d set up with a few of them.</p><p>Then, they heard the rattling of keys. Mika wondered if time was really going by as fast as it felt like it was, because he could’ve sworn they’d just finished breakfast minutes before. It wasn’t, because the door wasn’t opening to give them lunch. Ferid Bathory stood in the doorway with a triumphant smile, having picked the lock.</p><p>“You’re free, little lambs,” he cooed with a glint in his eyes. He stepped aside to allow them to escape the room. “The exit is down the hall and to the left.”</p><p>Mika and Yuu both stared at the vampire for a few moments, trying to register what was happening. Lest Karr was the only one who ever came to their door. Then, assuming the suspicious vampire was up to something, they exchanged a quick glance, agreeing that this was the only chance anyone would get out, they worked together to tackle him before he could react. Akane and the others stared at them wrestling on the floor with the vampire.</p><p>“Run!” Yuu shouted at Akane. “We’ve got him, get them out of here!”</p><p>“We’ll see you on the outside,” Mika said, pinning Ferid’s upper body as well as he could.</p><p>Akane nodded, understanding that they might not actually meet again, rounded up the rest of the group, and forced them out the door. Some of them objected, wanting to help Mika and Yuu, but Akane spurred them on, glancing back at the vampire often. The group was soon sprinting down the hallway. Ferid finally decided that injuring Lest Karr’s precious stock was worth it to avoid losing all of them out the door. He stopped ‘struggling’ and switching to actually inflicting harm on the two young men attempting to pin him. How dare they pin a vampire to the ground? He drove his hand into Mika’s stomach and punched Yuu so hard that he was knocked out and a small trickle of blood came out of his nose.</p><p>Ferid quickly stood to chase the others and possibly get a snack as he’d intended. He wasn’t going to play with the food anymore. Mika, coughing on the ground and growing alarmed at the blood pooling and the numbness in his legs, dragged himself to Yuu’s unconscious form. He adjusted his body so he was hopefully not going to choke on his own blood. He then quickly reached out to trip Ferid. The vampire fell on the ground in a hissing fury of elbows and claws. He landed a scratch across Mika’s face that momentarily blinded him in his left eye. Then, as the vampire rose to his feet, a loud voice echoed down the hall.</p><p>“What the <em>hell</em> do you think you’re doing, Ferid?” Lest Karr demanded, and his shadow spread across the ground in front of him, looking much more intimidating than his childish stature. His tone was dangerous. “Now I see, I should’ve killed you years ago. You’ve always been detrimental to my plans and now <em>this</em>.” He stormed down the hallway until he stood in front of a panting, bleeding, dying Mika and a limp Yuu. Although he was only about half of Ferid’s height, the lesser vampire knew he could be destroyed by a flick of Lest’s wrist. “Care to explain?” His eyes glared up at Ferid, who was smiling nervously.</p><p>“I didn’t see any harm in allowing the pets to have a nice walk, but then they decided to attack me,” Ferid said with a pout.</p><p>“You picked the lock to my room of humans, let eight of them escape, and left the only two that were near the proper age at the brink of death,” Lest Karr seethed. “If you weren’t so dimwitted, I’d think this was mutiny.”</p><p>A glimmer of hope flashed in Ferid’s eyes. “What are you going to do with me?” He asked.</p><p>Lest Karr ignored the question and instead turned his attention to the young men on the ground. “A pity they didn’t reach twenty. It is the perfect age, after all,” he muttered with a note of jealousy in his tone. Perhaps he had wished to reach the age himself before becoming immortal. “I’ll have to keep them only half-turned until they’re the proper age.” He tsked. “What a bother, they’ll be nearing starvation during that time and won’t be likely to follow orders.” He crouched down beside Mika and wiped some of the blood from his face, only to have the boy flinch away from him and scowl. Ferid practically ran away when he realized Lest was too distracted to deal with him right at that moment.</p><p>“If I don’t do something, you’ll die,” Lest Karr reminded Mika.</p><p>Mika growled, but the effort was too much, and he collapsed on his back. He could see darkness at the edges of his vision. “Fine,” he muttered. He knew he couldn’t make the decision to stubbornly let them both die, because Yuu would tell him to stay alive and would want to be there with him. When it grew harder to breathe, he grabbed Yuu’s hand in his and looked up at the vampire.</p><p>Lest Karr sliced his wrist with a small blade that he kept in his belt and allowed the thick blood to drip into Mika’s mouth. Mika felt the metallic liquid on his tongue and sliding down his throat and wanted to gag and spit it in the vampire’s child-like face, but instead he squeezed Yuu’s hand and swallowed the blood. Then, Lest Karr held a thumb over the wound on his wrist to keep it open but not wasting blood and splattered some blood on Yuu’s barely parted lips. Some of it made its way into his mouth, and he involuntarily swallowed.</p><p>Mika grimly sat up and watched Yuu open his green eyes. He was thankful they weren’t red, because he wasn’t sure he could handle seeing such a transformation. Yuu lifted himself off of the floor, sitting beside Mika. He felt disoriented and <em>off</em>. He hadn’t noticed all of the aches he naturally felt on a daily basis until they were suddenly gone. It was like being in a dream, where he felt hardly anything at all. It didn’t even feel real anymore. They only thing he felt was an undeniable thirst. He looked up at Mika, wondering if he felt the same way.</p><p>“Now that you’re going to rely on me for my blood, you’re free to go anywhere in the building, but remember that if you let yourselves starve, you <em>will</em> become demons. Now, I have a rather obnoxious problem to deal with. I’ll see you later,” Lest Karr said, standing up and walking away. His arm healed so quickly that he didn’t even leave any droplets on the ground.</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Day 9 - Canon Divergence part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mika and Yuu struggle to cope with their newfound forms. They spend their last hours together before the anticipated moment Mika turns 20.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Becoming half-vampires didn’t change the fact that Mika’s birthday was days away without being any closer to learning why Lest wanted them as twenty-year-old vampires. He fell into a mood, becoming silent and brooding to hide his growing fear and uncertainty. Would he be separated from Yuu after everything that had happened once his birthday came around? And would they ever be able to see Akane and the others again? The damn thirst wormed its way into his thoughts. He watched Yuu quietly, feeling the desperation coming off of him in waves too. Neither of them wanted to approach Lest Karr and beg for his blood, even if only for some mental clarity, until it became unbearable.</p><p>Mika, who had been more grievously injured in the first place, reached the edge faster. Yuu could see the deranged look in his blue eyes while they took shelter in their old room. Even though they had freedom to explore the whole building, it was pointless to leave what little familiarity there was left. Yuu doubted Mika even had the strength to walk down the hall.</p><p>“What do you think happens if a half-vampire drinks another’s blood?” Yuu asked, trying to sound casual.</p><p>The look on Mika’s face was more pained than it had been before. “Why would you even suggest that?” He muttered.</p><p>“Well, if you, y’know, took some of mine, maybe you wouldn’t be in as much trouble?” Yuu suggested. “Because I’m fine right now, but you can’t even stand up,” he added, although he had bags under his eyes and his breaths were more ragged than they usually were.</p><p>Mika stared at him, shocked that he’d sacrifice himself like that. Even though they’d both already sacrificed themselves for the others to escape. “Idiot,” he whispered, closing his eyes.</p><p>Through the red mist of his shut eyelids, Mika saw movement and heard a quiet intake of breath. He assumed it was some sort of strangled sigh of defeat until he felt something on his lips. Something warm. Something <em>wet</em> and metallic smelling that made his throat feel drier and his heart race as if he was on the most thrilling rollercoaster in the world. His first impulse was to wipe the splatter away in disgust, but his body desired it, needed it, more than he ever remembered even needing to breathe. Scowling and refusing to open his eyes, he lightly reached up until he felt Yuu’s offered arm, gently pulled it closer, and sunk his elongated fangs in. And he drank in needy gulps until his mind clouded over and Yuu felt lightheaded.</p><p>When Mika finally gained enough self-control to pry his lips from his companion’s arm, he stared at the marks he’d left with a mixture of horror and defeat. Was this the price he had to pay to live in the outside world again someday? Falling back into his eternal mood, he sighed and dropped Yuu’s arm. The wound took almost an hour to heal, and Mika counted the seconds in the back of his mind, watching the wound and knowing it was his fault.</p><p>Yuu put on a brave face and rested his hand on Mika’s shoulder. Thank goodness it wasn’t the one Mika had just sunk into like an orange slice. He met the blonde’s eyes with a sincere look of concern and his ever-present determination with underlying optimism. “We won’t have to do this for much longer,” he reminded Mika. “You especially. When’s your birthday, like two days?”</p><p>Mika shook his head. “You don’t even know what he’ll do to me, so how can you say words of encouragement? He’s most likely going to force me to become a full vampire, and I don’t want to think about what that entails. By the way, my birthday is May first. That’s <em>tomorrow</em>.”</p><p>The brave face faltered as Yuu realized there wasn’t much time before Mika faced his fate. “Promise me you’ll come back as soon as possible,” he said, and his request surprised the Mika, who thought he knew him so well.</p><p>“I’ll try.”</p><p>“Don’t try. You’re going to <em>do</em> it no matter what, because if you don’t come back, then there’s no way in hell I’m going to find a way to escape without you. If you don’t come back, I’ll be forced to look for you,” Yuu said with a stubborn smirk.</p><p>“That’s stupid. I don’t need a knight in shining armor,” Mika said quietly.</p><p>“Prove it by coming back after tomorrow,” Yuu stated.</p><p>Mika sighed and sprawled across the bed that had been his. He didn’t want to argue with Yuu, because he had to admit that persistence would probably keep him alive longer than most people. In the silence, he became acutely aware of Yuu’s shallow breathing. His state was growing worse, and that was Mika’s fault too.</p><p>“I promise,” Mika finally said softly. He couldn’t believe he had once considered himself the optimistic one out of the group. Facing defeat and uncertainty changed a man, he supposed. It made Yuu stronger and Mika lose all hope.</p><p>The hours passed by, and Yuu wished he could sleep. Before he’d been kidnapped, when he was used to starvation, he had discovered that sleep could help him forget the gnawing momentarily. Finally, the pessimistic side of his being realized that this could be his last chance to spend time with Mika. Yuu quietly walked towards the bed he was spread across on his back. Without a word, he climbed up and fit himself where Mika’s body wasn’t. Mika felt the dip in the bed and turned to face him with turmoil in his gorgeous blue eyes.</p><p>Yuu settled on his side facing Mika and taking in his appearance. He’d never grow tired of that face, and he’d never forget it either. Maybe he was just woozy from exhaustion and lack of blood, but Mika was dreamy so up close. Mika shifted to look back at him, leaving a generous amount of space between their curled-up bodies. He thought about how comfortable it was to just stay there like that with Yuu. It was possibly his last moments, and he would’ve have wanted to spend them any other way. He smiled sadly, glad they had at least met and gotten to spend time together.</p><p>“Do you want to talk about anything?” Yuu asked hesitantly.</p><p>“No, I just want to stay exactly like this with you forever,” Mika whispered.</p><p>That was a really heartfelt, sentimental statement. Yuu wasn’t sure how to interpret it, because he wasn’t too good with picking up on emotions. All he could manage was a low hum in response. He agreed that it was nice to watch Mika from up close quietly, but was Mika trying to be romantic? He couldn’t tell. Yuu blamed it on being taken away from the rest of society in his mid-teens. After spending so much time together, he still struggled to read Mika. The hours ticked down, and Yuu hardly noticed the thirst because he was so lost in the oceans of Mika’s eyes. He tried his best to memorize the ‘moment’ of peace that spanned all night: the calm before the storm.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This idea is far from over, so I'm going to keep adding chapters for it until I get all of my ideas out. Spoiler alert: I'm going to mix another anime into the plot of this one later. I'll keep typing based off of the other prompts to post after I'm done. :)</p><p>Update: I started writing out the enemies to lovers prompt, and that one's turning out really interesting too. Since I'm not posting it yet, I'll give you a hint. It includes a battle of the bands in which the two competing bands have Mika as the frontman for one and Yuu for the other.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Day 9 - Canon Divergence part 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mika and Yuu both reach their 20th birthdays and begin to learn more about Lest Karr's plan, as well as explore the building a little more. Mika feels he's missing some crucial answers, and it bothers him incessantly.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the morning, Mika was still with Yuu in the room. Yuu quietly wished him a happy birthday, to which he didn’t respond. Lest Karr appeared in the doorway sometime later.</p><p>“I told you two you were free to wander the building,” Lest reminded them with almost a concerned look on his face. “Mikaela, it’s your most special day.”</p><p>Mika tensed up. “I know,” he muttered. With one last look at Yuu, he stood and followed Lest out of the room. Yuu continued to stare straight ahead of him, as if he could still see a phantom image of his friend there. Maybe he was really hallucinating. He couldn’t tell. He was so <em>thirsty</em>.</p><p>In the hall, Mika tried to get answers out of the vampire. “What are you going to do, now that I’m the age you wanted?” He was afraid to hear the answer, but he at least wanted to be prepared.</p><p>“I’m just changing you into a full vampire. You won’t age anymore, so I wanted to wait until twenty, because it’s the end of growth and the cusp before deterioration begins,” Lest explained calmly. “I believe that anyone who is supposed to become a vampire should become one at this age.”</p><p>Mika fought the urge to ask if it was because Lest was turned when he was so young that he believed this. The idea of never aging again terrified him, but he was grateful the vampire had at least waited until he wasn’t a hormonal teen anymore. He followed the small vampire down a darker hallway, their shoes clicking in the silence.</p><p>Finally, the walk was over. Mika found himself in a lush room, fit for a king, with deep crimson carpeting and velvet furniture. He supposed it made it easier to hide blood stains to make everything red.</p><p>“Please, have a seat,” Lest said, his tone between a friendly request and a command.</p><p>Sitting on the nearest couch, Mika decided the room made him uncomfortable. It was too plushy and soft for a vampire. He wished he was still human, because having clammy palms and a nervously racing heart would’ve been more reassuring than sitting there with his thirst. Lest reappeared from behind a fridge door disguised as a wall panel with a bag of blood.</p><p>“This is fresh, right from the surface,” Lest explained, handing it to Mika. “Once you drink that, you’ll become a full vampire.”</p><p>Mika stared at the thick red liquid. If he squinted at it, he could almost pretend it was just a gross bag of red wine. “Will I be able to return to Yuu after transforming?” He asked, looking over at the vampire.</p><p>“Of course. My plan depends on you two working together. You won’t be going to the surface until it’s both of you turned and going,” Lest said, revealing more of his plan than he ever had before. Mika tried not to look shocked when he mentioned the surface. Becoming a vampire was his ticket out of the underground building, oddly enough. He was relieved he would be able to see Yuu again.</p><p>“Cheers,” Mika said grimly, tipping the contents into his mouth and trying not to think of the poor person who had given it up. He could only hope they were still alive, somewhere. The liquid pooled on his tongue and sluggishly slid down his throat. He closed his eyes and felt minute things changing in his body. When he opened his eyes, they were the signature red of a vampire.</p><p>“How do you feel?” Lest asked, but it sounded like he wasn’t concerned about his wellbeing so much as how well his plan was working.</p><p>“I feel great,” Mika admitted. He felt strong and healthy, and that was all he needed. He didn’t need to heed the fact that his heart was no longer pumping his blood through his body, nor how cold his skin would be to the touch now.</p><p>“Well, that’s all for now. You may return to your room,” Lest waved him away, scooping up the bag to dispose of it. “Or to anywhere within the grounds, of course.”</p><p>Mika sprinted to the room to find Yuu completely convulsing with tremors. He rushed to his side and took his face in his hands.</p><p>“Yuu-chan, I’m here,” Mika whispered.</p><p>Yuu blinked at him, eyes unfocused. “Need blood,” he rasped.</p><p>“I’m going to repay you for earlier,” Mika promised. He sat in front of Yuu on the bed and gently lifted his upper body in a sort of hug, letting Yuu’s face rest in the crook of his neck. “Drink,” he whispered.</p><p>Not even thinking straight, Yuu smelled blood and sunk his fangs in, gulping hungrily. Mika marveled that it hardly even hurt him to have Yuu drinking from his vital artery. In fact, he hated to admit it, but it felt strangely good. He didn’t want to think on it too much and ran his hand through his messy black hair. Yuu didn’t calm down for quite some time. When he finally had enough mental clarity to realize what he was doing and to whom, he released Mika’s neck, licked the wound as if to apologize for it, and collapsed back on the bed. Mika looked down at him and blushed ever so faintly. If he wasn’t a vampire, he knew he’d be redder than a tomato. The pink that did creep to his cheeks was hardly noticeable, especially to Yuu in his state of euphoria.</p><p>And so, Mika continued to feed Yuu so he didn’t have to interact with Lest, and Lest continued to provide blood for Mika. Now that they weren’t on the brink of starvation, they decided to explore the places they now had access to. Surprisingly, they found that there were many empty rooms. Large rooms, similar to theirs, held many empty beds. It unsettled Mika so much that he often closed the doors to such rooms and refused to return to them. <em>Could that be where the blood comes from?</em> He wondered. <em>Where are all the humans?</em></p><p>The different vampires’ living quarters were locked, but the two also found a shared library that was open. They scoured the shelves, searching for any recent history or news of the outside world. To their disappointment, everything in the room was older than they were.</p><p>Soon, October was approaching, and Yuu knew it would be his turn to join Mika as a full vampire. Mika was unusually quiet and thoughtful around that time, because he couldn’t decide whether to encourage or discourage him. <em>Where does the blood come from</em>? The question ran through his head constantly, almost as often as: <em>Where are the humans who were in those rooms?</em> It made him sick to think that the two could be connected somehow. It was bad enough that he relied on blood, he didn’t want to find out he had been feeding on the remains of a massacre on top of it. He reminded himself that maybe he’d find more answers on the surface. It wouldn’t be long.</p><p>The night before Yuu’s birthday, Mika stayed by his side and found himself desperate to preserve his perception of Yuu with his vibrant green eyes. He was already dreading what they’d look like in red. He wished there was some way to keep those eyes their natural color outside of his memories. Yuu allowed him to stare as much as he wanted, seeming to understand, no matter how upset Mika’s red eyes made him. Looking into them usually reminded him of a sea of blood and despair, but in that moment, the red made them seem more passionate.</p><p>“Any last requests?” Mika asked softly. “Before you officially die.”</p><p>Yuu thought about it and silently cursed at himself when his first thought was to slowly lean in and kiss his lips. He was definitely not going to suggest that. “Um, I can’t really think of any,” he said.</p><p>Mika hugged him close and Yuu wrapped his arms around him in return. He reveled in how Yuu was still a little warmer than a full vampire. “Happy birthday, Yuu-chan.” Yuu blushed, wondering when Mika had started using a fond nickname for him.</p><p>“Thank you. Should I go meet Lest or wait for him here?” Yuu asked, looking at Mika’s face.</p><p>“You can go meet him, if you feel confident enough to walk into your fate like that,” Mika said. “If I hadn’t already been through it, I would say that was a dumb idea, but it shouldn’t be too bad.”</p><p>Yuu nodded. “I’ll see you in a few,” he promised.</p><p>Mika nodded and lightly brushed his lips against Yuu’s cheek. “See you soon.”</p><p>With the blush still rising to his face, Yuu stood and walked towards the doorway. He glanced back at Mika to give him one last chance to see his eyes before he changed. Mika was highly aware of the blush he had caused, and he wondered what that could mean.</p><p> </p><p>When Yuu returned less than half an hour later, Mika stared at him with a shocked expression. <em>His eyes…they’re still green.</em> He thought. “Did something go wrong? Did Lest decide to postpone?” He asked.</p><p>“No? I’m one-hundred percent vamp. Why?” Yuu scrunched up his face. He wasn’t even pale. He looked exactly the same as he had before.</p><p>“Your appearance didn’t change at all,” he pointed out.</p><p>“What?” Yuu pulled at his face. He didn’t have a mirror to check his eyes. “Maybe it takes a bit to happen.”</p><p>“No, Yuu, it happened immediately for me. By the time I was back, my eyes were red, remember?”</p><p>Mika inspected his face closer and could just barely make out a thin red ring around his pupils. “There’s some change, but not much.” He smiled.</p><p>“No fair,” Yuu muttered.</p><p>“Did Lest tell you when we’d be going to the surface?” Mika changed the topic, still staring at Yuu’s eyes in vague wonder.</p><p>“He said we were going tonight, but he didn’t give me any other details. He said some other vampires up there would tell us what to do once we got there,” Yuu said, trying to remember if there was anything else. “Oh, and that we’d be under surveillance until he can trust us.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Alright, I wasn't planning on posting this today, but I managed to write a lot more than I planned on. The next chapter with have two guest characters from another anime who will end up playing a pretty major role in the plot.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Day 9 - Canon Divergence part 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Okay, here's the end of this prompt for now. I might revisit it later. Lots of bickering and suppressed romantic gestures. Also lots of answers dropped.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mika wasn’t sure what he expected the surface to look like. Maybe normal? They’d only been gone for a few years, and yet it looked as if everything had fallen into ruin. He stayed close to Yuu that night, watching the crumbling buildings illuminated by silvery moonlight as they passed by. They just had to pass these buildings and find the other vampires who would be waiting for them. Mika was mildly suspicious that the whole thing was a test of loyalty. If they ran off into the night instead of walking on, he was sure they’d either be killed on the spot or hunted down.</p><p>Soon, they made it to a barrier where two vampires waited for them. Yuu was silently glad it wasn’t Ferid’s stupid face, otherwise he would’ve been obligated to kick his teeth in and see just how strong he was now as a vampire. Instead, it was two vampires who also appeared to be near twenty.</p><p>“You guys finally made it!” One of them said. He had blue hair and a loud voice that instantly annoyed Yuu. The other one, however, just remained silent and stared at them, which unnerved Yuu. Mika just looked at them. If this was what they were stuck with, so be it.</p><p>“Welcome to containment Number 6. I’m René, and this idiot who just shouted during night guard is Lacus,” the dark-haired vampire said in a low voice.</p><p>“Containment Number 6?” Mika asked, scrunching his eyebrows and trying to make everything fit. Beyond the walls appeared to be a city full of impressive skylights. A contrast to the demolished buildings and desolate spaces they’d had to pass to get there.</p><p>“Yeah, we keep the nice, compliant humans in here. All others have to fend for themselves in that,” Lacus explained, pointing back the way they’d come.</p><p>“People actually live there?” Yuu asked angrily. “Most of those buildings aren’t even weather-tight!” He could just imagine Akane and the kids trying to stay warm and dry in such a place, huddled together and hungry. His stomach dropped. Even after escaping, they were still either trapped in the city thing or in buildings that were falling apart.</p><p>“It doesn’t matter. Most of the people out there are criminals anyway, or people who refuse to accept our rules. Maintaining Utopia is hard, you know?” Lacus kept talking.</p><p>While Lacus was explaining loudly and chuckling, René did an identity scan of his eye and wrist and the gate slid open like a grocery store automatic door. “We’ll give you a tour, but then you’ll have to go out to search for some especially dangerous criminals,” he said.</p><p>“Thank god Lest-y made some more guards,” Lacus said happily. “It’ll make our job a whole lot easier, eh?”</p><p>The other vampire seemed to ignore the comment as he walked through the door. “Come on, we don’t have long.”</p><p>“He’s right. If we leave the door without a guard for too long, we’ll get in a lot of trouble. Luckily, most people are asleep right now, so there isn’t traffic or anything to worry about,” Lacus added.</p><p>They were led around the city, which seemed fairly normal except for the advanced security. Before every doorway, there was a small cylinder that the citizens were required to place their forearm in that collected a small amount of blood. Supposedly for security reasons. Mika slowly realized, from how Lacus explained everything, that the people didn’t even know they were trapped. They just assumed they were being kept safe by being behind the walls, like it was a privilege to be there. All of the blood collection was just seen as part of the security measures taken. Mika began to doubt if they even knew vampires existed. It didn’t sit right with him. Yuu, meanwhile, began to grow furious. He could not believe that anyone would want to set up a system like that. It was better than killing people for blood, but not by much. He wanted to leave the city area before his rage made him sick or he slapped Lacus.</p><p>The tour was soon over, and once they left the other vampires behind at the gate, Yuu released a frustrated sigh. “I hated that place,” he said.</p><p>Mika glanced at him while they walked. “Me too.” He remembered the descriptions they’d gotten of the criminals and wondered what they had done to become the most wanted. He also pondered over what might happen to them when they were found. The criminals were twenty, too, and he had a feeling that being ordered to capture them at that age wasn’t a coincidence. <em>Is Lest obsessed?</em></p><p>“I don’t understand why you insist on helping everyone you meet,” an annoyed voice broke the silence and Mika’s train of thought. “You do realize the majority of people out here have killed people before, right?”</p><p>“You mean including you?” another voice raised. “Not everyone is as bad as you think. You’ve killed how many people? And I live with you.”</p><p>“That was different,” the other voice replied in a grunt. “What I wanted to say was that you shouldn’t keep offering your help to people when it keeps you out so late. It’s two in the morning. Do you not know the concept of danger?”</p><p>Yuu waited with Mika, who had stopped in his tracks to listen to the bickering. “They sound like a married couple,” Yuu muttered.</p><p>“I’m an adult, too. We’re the same age, so you don’t have to act like my parent all the time,” the one voice defended.</p><p>“By experience, I’m still older than you.”</p><p>Silence settled back over the area, and Mika continued to walk stealthily. He was curious who the arguing couple had been. They sounded like young men, so he wondered if they were the threat they were after. Rounding a corner, they caught a figure wearing a dark piece of cloth around the shoulders vanish down a flight of stairs under some wreckage. Yuu noticed that the figure had black hair tied up. That matched part of the description, but he knew they’d have to get closer to find out.</p><p>“Are we going to break in?” Yuu asked, following Mika as he walked after them.</p><p>“No. I want to try and talk to them. If these are our targets, I want to get answers,” Mika muttered, deep in thought.</p><p>“Maybe I should go first since I don’t have freaky vampire eyes,” Yuu suggested. Mika glared at him but agreed that it was a good idea for first impressions. He could picture getting the door slammed in his face for his appearance.</p><p>Yuu took a breath and knocked on the door. He wasn’t used to his strength yet, though, so it was a lot more aggressive than he intended. He made up for it by knocking softer afterwards. Mika rolled his eyes and waited behind him.</p><p>A few seconds later, the door slowly opened. Yuu jumped back in shock and nearly toppled Mika over, but the taller vampire stabilized him and stared at the boy standing in the doorway. <em>He doesn’t fit the description at all.</em> Trying to regain him composure after being terrified by meeting red eyes and shocking white hair, Yuu realized something odd: this boy was a human. A human with red eyes like a vampire. <em>Who is this guy?</em></p><p>“I thought I told you not to just open the door for people,” a voice groaned from deeper in the underground building.</p><p>“Hi, I’m Shion. What brings you here at this time of night?” The boy in the door asked politely.</p><p>Yuu looked down at him, because he was a few inches shorter than him. He couldn’t exactly tell the truth, but Mika was the one who was good at lying. He tried not to panic. “Can we ask you a few questions?” Yuu asked gently. “It shouldn’t take long. I’m Yuu, and this is Mika.”</p><p>Shion stared at Mika for a few moments. “Are you a vampire?” He asked hesitantly.</p><p>Mika nodded. “We both are,” he replied in a soft tone that he hoped wasn’t menacing. Something about the boy just screamed fragile and kind, and Mika didn’t want to scare him.</p><p>The man they’d only seen from behind before stalked up to the doorway and scowled at them. His grey eyes were so cold that they reminded Mika of metal. “Leave our home now and you won’t be killed,” he said.</p><p>“We only want some answers,” Mika said calmly, stepping in front of Yuu who was beginning to seethe. He noticed that Shion had shrunken away to the side of the hallway.</p><p>“You are a vampire. I don’t have to answer to you, I doubt you even have a soul. And you,” his gaze landed on Yuu who was gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. “Why are you staying with a vampire? Are you his pet, his slave, his portable supply of food?” His comment was indifferent, but it set Yuu off.</p><p>“I’m a vampire, too,” Yuu growled. “But if I wasn’t, Mika would never use me like that.”</p><p>A slate-colored eyebrow was raised. “Oh? So you’re lovers.”</p><p>Yuu blushed faintly and spluttered. “How the hell did you come to that conclusion? You know nothing about our lives or what we went through or how we feel about each other.”</p><p>“Likewise. You don’t even know my name,” he replied with an unreadable expression. “Which means I have an advantage over you.”</p><p>“Nezu-” Shion began to object, only to have his mouth covered by the taller man’s hand. Yuu noticed how this guy was taller than both he and Mika. He must’ve been close to six feet tall. He turned to the short white-haired boy with a severe look.</p><p>“For once, don’t let your kind instincts get the better of you. These two are actually dangerous. If you underestimate them or give them too much information, our way of living, or worse our <em>lives</em> are over,” he warned in a hushed tone, speaking close to his face. “Understand?”</p><p>Shion nodded and the hand was removed. “I was going to ask why you were being so mean. They only wanted to talk to us,” he said with a huff.</p><p>The other seemed to think for a few seconds before a wan smile appeared on his lips. “Fine. We’ll let them into our home.”</p><p>“What? You just said they were dangerous,” Shion replied, looking up at him.</p><p>Mika remained silent with an eyebrow raised. He wasn’t sure where this was going, but he was glad that as vampires, they had the upper hand in case this was a trap. He slid his hand down and gently grabbed Yuu’s hand in his to make sure he didn’t charge in and do anything reckless and was glad he hardly possessed the capacity to blush, because his affection-starved body craved to curl up with his body up against Yuu’s which was still wonderfully lukewarm. Yuu glanced at their contact without a word.</p><p>Soon, the two vampires were sitting on a couch in a small room that somehow managed to be a library, kitchen, living room and bedroom all at once. The man with slate hair leaned against the edge of the bed with Shion standing nervously beside him, glancing between him and the two visitors.</p><p>“What would you like to ask us first? How many of you we’ve killed? What we did to get kicked out of your precious <em>utopia</em>? Who we are?” The man asked casually with an edge to his smooth voice.</p><p>“I’d like an exchange of information,” Mika said, meeting his calculating gaze.</p><p>This seemed to surprise him. He leaned forward a little and raised his eyebrows. “What is your proposition?”</p><p>“I’ll tell you what we were supposed to do to you, and any information we have about Lest Karr, and you tell us what you know about this utopia,” Mika said. He kept Yuu’s hand in his in case he had to whisk him out of the situation quickly.</p><p>“A vampire selling out his own?” He asked suspiciously. “How do I know this isn’t a ploy to get us to reveal evidence?”</p><p>“If you hear what I have to say, you’ll know it isn’t,” Mika stated. He was surprised he could meet that metallic, scrutinizing, loathing glare for so long.</p><p>Before he could accept the terms, Yuu grew impatient. “Look, we were supposed to come over here and beat you within an inch of your lives on sight. Obviously, we didn’t do that when we had the chance, even though you called Mika soulless and threated us,” he snapped, glowering at him.</p><p>Shion flinched at the sudden outburst and grabbed onto the taller man’s arm. “Nezumi,” he whispered. “He has a point.”</p><p>Nezumi sighed and rested his forehead in his hand for a moment in irritation. “You could still do anything after getting the information out of us,” he stated.</p><p>“Except that I want to work with you to find out what Lest Karr is planning, and what he’s been doing to people,” Mika said. “If you really are the most dangerous individuals in his eyes, then you must be valuable allies to anyone wishing to take him down.”</p><p>“Why would you want to take out the head vampire?” Nezumi asked, failing to hide his curiosity for the first time since the conversation had started.</p><p>“He has all of those people trapped in that city as his blood supply, and yet I think he might also be bringing people into his base to either kill or turn into vampires. I think he maybe wanted you to become vampires, because he didn’t order us to kill you, just fatally injure you and bring you back to him. I don’t know what he’s planning, but I don’t like it. Plus, our friends are out here somewhere in danger of being recaptured,” Mika explained.</p><p>“I originally invited you in to give Shion a lesson about talking to suspicious strangers. I didn’t expect this,” Nezumi said quietly, looing up at the ceiling in thought. “Having inside men <em>would </em>be helpful. You’d be able to do much more than my spybots. Not to mention your strength being useful against other vampires. Alright. Here’s my information for the exchange.” He paused, making sure he wasn’t going to be interrupted. “The citizens of the city don’t know that vampires exist. Every month, a single person disappears. I followed one of these people when a figure snatched her up in the night. Turns out Lest Karr keeps humans for entertainment.”</p><p>Mika furrowed his brow, not expecting something so innocent.</p><p>“But that isn’t where it stops,” Nezumi continued. “After he grows bored of the humans he stole, he kills them, drains them, and throws them underneath the city. There’s a mass grave down there, and no one even knows.”</p><p>This caused a chill to run up Mika’s spine. Then, someone pounded on the door and he remembered that they were supposed to be under surveillance on this mission. Fear prickled his skin.</p><p>Nezumi shot him a look that was at first betrayed then paranoid. He perceived that everyone in the room was terrified and it wasn’t an ambush led by Mika and Yuu. “Come with me, we don’t have much time.” He pulled Shion, still clinging to his arm, down the dark hall and into a trap door in the floor. Mika followed, squeezing Yuu’s hand tightly for comfort. After closing the door and climbing down a thin ladder, they stole into the tunnel under the ruined building and ran for their lives, accepting that they were now in this together.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Day 10 - Enemies to Lovers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's the annual battle of the bands, and Yuu's band, Demon Mayhem, is going up against Mika's, Vampirical. The heat is on as Yuu and Mika personally piss each other off to try and gain first place. To make things worse, Mika can read Yuu's mind and knows he finds him really attractive.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yuu groaned in frustration. No one told him the other band had a pretty boy frontman. He felt his chances of winning the battle of the bands concert rapidly slipping through his fingers while the tall blonde with pale skin and entrancing blue eyes stepped to the front of the stage. The rest of Yuu’s band, called Demon Mayhem, were backstage. Yuu always made a point of observing the competition from the fans’ point of view, though. It helped him judge the odds of winning. <em>Just because they have a pretty face doesn’t mean they’re any good</em>, he reminded himself, waiting for them to complete setup and begin.</p><p>The frontman of the other band, called Vampirical, looked out over the crowd for a few seconds. His eye liner made the blue irises sparkle so bright, Yuu assumed even the stragglers in the back of the room caught a glimpse of them and were hypnotized. They were running on vampire, aesthetics, after all, with old fashioned clothes, pale skin, and fake blood, so it didn’t surprise Yuu that perhaps there was some true hypnosis about to happen. He blinked a few times. <em>Wait, I’m not supposed to be hypnotized or intrigued by the enemy.</em> He inhaled to clear his head and focused on the frontman’s boots instead. <em>A vampire theme is stupid anyway. Who likes vampires anymore?</em></p><p>Once the rest of the band were in place and sound check was over, they started to play Come as You Are by Nirvana. Yuu watched and listened, and he was horrifyingly impressed. Somehow, the vocals coming from the blonde were both gruff and soft at once, smooth and roguish. Fog floated across the floor and red lights made a great visual pairing for their sound. He hated to admit it, but he loved the sound, and he didn’t even like the original song. <em>This is very bad, very, very bad. I’m trying to find their weaknesses and I’m even falling for their act.</em> Then, Yuu had a thought that saved him from spiraling into panic. <em>But are they going to play any original songs, or rely on cover songs alone?</em> He smirked, feeling like he could directly challenge the unfairly attractive frontman with his mind to do something special.</p><p>Surprisingly, after Yuu formulated the thought in his mind, the frontman seemed to look right at him and smile. Yuu felt like he knew why girls usually screamed when this happened to them. Somehow, having a stranger who is beautiful and talented stare at you while singing lyrics makes it feel intimate, despite the sheer number of other people in the room and distance between you. Yuu set his jaw. No rival band was allowed to make him feel so weak in the knees. <em>Maybe vampires are actually sexy. I’m so screwed in this competition.</em></p><p>Then, it got worse. The frontman, making eye contact with Yuu again, pulled out a song that he’d written. The unspoken challenge had been accepted.</p><p>“Nirvana’s great, but since you’re all so amazing, we’d like to play a song for you that’s never been performed on stage before. I wrote it especially for this occasion,” the frontman said, and his voice sounded more gentle, charming, and genuine all at once. “I’d like to dedicate this one to this boy in the front here.” He pointed <em>right</em> at Yuu, who swallowed nervously on impulse. He had been planning on stealing away into backstage when the announcement had started, but now he felt rooted to the spot by an unexplainable force. Really, he was just frozen in shock, awe, and maybe even fear.</p><p>Yuu listened to the lyrics and the chords and bit his lip hard. Not only was the song good (it was fantastic), but it was also very obviously a love song. He thought of some pretty harsh words he wanted to throw in the boy’s face at the stunt he just pulled. On top of feeling all of his emotions and being flustered and taken aback, he was aware of several murderous glares from fangirls and boys who would probably kill to be sung to by those soft, fake-blood splattered lips. He looked back up to see if the blonde would dare make eye contact again, because he was keeping a count. Each instance would be another level of anger he would unleash on him after the concert. Not only did he make deliberate eye contact, he <em>winked</em> at him. If Yuu didn’t have his pride to worry about, he would’ve fled. This was a war, though, and he wasn’t about to surrender, so he kept a steady glare trained on those blue eyes.</p><p>Losing track of the specific lyrics and time after that, Vampirical soon reached the end of its set and Yuu was still glaring. He clapped with a certain amount of anger behind his motions. Then, as he was about to climb to backstage, he realized he had broken into a sweat. <em>Probably just from the effort of focusing so hard.</em> He brushed it off. When he reached backstage, his drummer, Shinoa, punched him in the arm.</p><p>“Where have you been, cheery boy? You look like you just got sunburned,” she said, sounding both amused and irritated.</p><p>“I got burned,” Yuu growled, “but not by the sun.”</p><p>She raised her eyebrows and carried her drum stand on stage. Yuu wasn’t ready to follow Vampirical. He wasn’t sure he could even keep his voice from wavering. Kimizuki grunted in disapproval as he passed with his keyboard, and Yoichi gave him a small smile and half hug around the bass guitar he was wearing. Mitsuba muttered something under her breath and passed him with her guitar in hand. That left Yuu, with his amazing green and black guitar that would normally look completely badass, to enter the stage when he was ready. He was thankful that the band couldn’t start without him, because he needed to breathe and drink some water. He could feel the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. The frontman could make or break a performance, and he sincerely doubted he could top the Vampirical show. It was time to be very suave and cocky, but he felt like throwing up.</p><p>Finally getting his nerves in order, Yuu stepped out onto the stage as if he owned the place. The crowd went wild. It always amazed him how he could stand among them one moment and practically be idolized by them the next, thanks solely to his on-stage persona. He walked up to the mic, ignoring how it was still slightly too tall for him by taking it out of the stand and carrying it with him.</p><p>“I don’t think you guys are ready for what we have planned,” he said.</p><p>There were multiple shouts of objection, and Yuu felt like they were practically begging and pleading, saying they <em>were</em> ready. He smirked.</p><p>“I don’t know…” He said, feigning uncertainty. This was his act, they knew, and shouted loudly in response.</p><p>“Okay, okay, you passed the test,” he said, smiling. He was almost completely secure until he glanced out over the crowd and saw blue eyes boring into him. Out of everyone who didn’t recognize him, it seemed someone had been paying even more attention than Yuu had planned on. The blonde was standing near the spot Yuu had occupied before, crossing his arms over his chest, wearing casual clothes instead of something out of a Victorian wet dream, and smirking as mischievously as a devil.</p><p>“We’re Demon Mayhem, and this is the first song from our new album!” Yuu announced. “It’s called Asuramaru.”</p><p>Yoichi started out with a sick bassline that got the crowd excited. Then, Shinoa jumped in on drums, soon followed by Mitsuba and Kimizuki. Yuu joined with his badass lead guitar line and began to sing. His singing was definitely more aggressive than the other frontman’s had been, but there was some sentiment behind the lyrics. The breakdowns in Demon Mayhem songs were known for being exceptionally emotional despite their heavier style.</p><p>The song ended, and Yuu had managed not to meet the blonde’s eyes once. He wasn’t giving up, though, because he knew their setlist had a particularly romantic song coming up. Payback would be his, and he couldn’t wait to see the other frontman blushing and out of his element. People were screaming and clapping, and Yuu thought he felt more excitement in the air than he’d felt before. The second song, called ‘Bloodied Sword’, was phenomenal, especially when Yuu pulled a real sword out of the neck of his guitar and started doing swinging attacks across the stage during Mitsuba’s solo. He resheathed the sword with a triumphant look on his face. It was time for the slower, romantic song then. Yuu had once described it as ‘dark romance, the type where you question everything but also your heart is pounding, and you feel <em>alive</em>’.</p><p>Yuu had written ‘Soul for Desire’ specifically to show off. It played perfectly into his voice range and natural way of singing, and made it sound like he was really pouring his heart out on stage while still looking like he could slay monsters without trying. He met the blue eyes that were glued to him and didn’t look away until the last note of the song faded into silence. For some reason, that made the blonde boy smile, which infuriated Yuu. He was the one who was supposed to be feeling triumphant, but instead it just felt like he was practically confessing to this guy. <em>That’s it. If he isn’t fazed by this, I’ll turn it up a notch.</em> After the song was over, while the crowd was still screeching and hopefully fainting, Yuu turned to his band, putting his hand over the mic to suggest a change in their set order. The others looked nervous, but Shinoa nodded excitedly. They hadn’t even practiced this song all together before, each separately learning their parts ahead of time.</p><p>“Hey,” Yuu started, and he imagined people screaming so loud he paused. In reality, everyone fell into a hushed silence. “This next song is really fresh. We haven’t ever practiced it together as a band before, so you get to see it for the first time.” This time, some people really were cheering. “I hope you like this, because I think it’s going to be as badass as fighting for someone you love and killing two hundred demons. I especially hope that this song reaches you, Goldilocks” he said, pointing at the other frontman under him. If the lights weren’t so damn blinding in his face, Yuu wondered if he would catch an irritated flush over his pale face. But then, the song began.</p><p>In his determination, Yuu even leaned off of the stage to point into the crowd when he sang. When that didn’t have enough of an effect, he set down his guitar and even leaped off of the stage, mic cord trailing behind him, and stalked up to the blonde. People parted for him like he possessed mystical powers, and he kept going until he was face-to-face with the guy, singing into the mic and meeting his eyes. He felt triumphant when he saw how bewildered the pretty boy looked. Then, knowing the spell would be broken once the song was over, and he’d be lucky if he got out of the pool of people alive then, Yuu walked back through the pathway backwards, refusing to break eye contact or stop pointing at him whenever a particularly emotional line came out of his mouth. He felt invincible, because he didn’t trip on the cord once and he made it back onto stage for the final line and last chords. The song slowly came to a close, and the lights faded out with the lingering notes.</p><p>The following darkness felt like it amplified the shouting and clapping of the audience. Yuu smirked, proud of himself. Maybe he wouldn’t have to catch the frontman after the show to give him a piece of his mind, after all. He seemed to already be completely and utterly <em>served</em>. While they started to gather their instruments in the dim light and fanfare afterwards, his band members gave him wary glances. They seemed concerned his stunt had cost them first place.</p><p>Next, both bands waited on the stage for the winner to be announced. Krul Tepes walked onto stage in her platform heels that made her almost as tall as everyone and pulled out an envelope. After flashing it around to all of the audience, she tore the top.</p><p>“And this year’s winner of our annual battle of the bands is… Demon Mayhem!” She announced with a grin, clapping and handing the check to Yuu. He wanted to scream like a little girl and hug his friends, but he kept his cool persona for a few more minutes. Especially because <em>he</em> was only a few feet away from Yuu, glaring. Somehow, he was even back in his vampire getup again. Yuu had to admit that, even out of the corner of his eye, it was a really hot outfit.</p><p>Yuu finally got cocky enough to look over at him and silently gloat. He could see the other silently seething. Once the crowd calmed down and they were able to exit out the backstage door, Yuu was humming happily. When the public wasn’t looking, he finally squealed and group hugged his band. They were all amazing! They had won! Vampirical sulked quietly as they packed their stuff, all except their frontman, who stood off to the side watching Yuu and biding his time.</p><p>Then, when Yuu was preparing to follow his friends out the back door, a strong hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. He looked up into the blue eyes he’d been fearlessly meeting for the majority of the past two hours, and suddenly their height difference intimidated him more than he would like to admit. The blonde crossed his arms.</p><p>“What the hell was that you pulled at the end of your show?” The blonde asked in a low tone.</p><p>“You mess with the Demon, you get the horns?” Yuu replied, and yet it didn’t sound as cocky as his brain thought it would. It came out as more of a wavering question.</p><p>“You sang a <em>love </em>song directly to my face. How is that an aggressive attack?”</p><p>“Look, the people loved it, and I won, so don’t be such a sore loser,” Yuu said, looking down because not meeting those eyes made him regain some of his confidence.</p><p>“I should punch you,” he seethed. “But I have to admit, your tactic somehow worked.”</p><p>Yuu looked back up at him, confused. <em>Was that a compliment?</em></p><p>“My name’s Mika. I <em>was</em> going to apologize for putting you on the spot by singing to you, but it doesn’t seem right now that you did something way worse.”</p><p>“I’m Yuu. And if you’re saying I should apologize for what I did, I’m not going to.”</p><p>“Does that mean you’re in love with me?” Mika asked with a snort. “That was a very confessional song, followed by a very die-hard loyal song.”</p><p>“What? As if I’d fall for someone who just lost to me,” Yuu chuckled.</p><p>“Ah, so you have a thing for being beaten,” Mika suggested, narrowing his eyes. “You find it hot to go after people who are better than you. Is that why your attitude towards me changed so much from when you were first gawking at me as if I was the next messiah to now?”</p><p>Yuu spluttered. “Shut up. You sang a love song to me first, and you like read my mind or something. Like that isn’t creepy at all.”</p><p>Mika tilted his head, suddenly losing some of his cold façade. “What are you talking about?” He feigned ignorance.</p><p>“I thought ‘now try playing something original instead of a cover song’, and then you dedicated your next song, one you had personally written, to <em>me,” </em>Yuu explained in an accusatory tone.</p><p>“You can’t prove anything, shorty,” Mika muttered with a smirk.</p><p>“I’m not even that much shorter than you!” Yuu shouted. “And you’re wearing boots, you asshole.”</p><p>“And yet you were thinking these boots were the hottest thing you’d ever seen just an hour ago,” Mika whispered near his ear.</p><p>“I’m leaving. You’re too weird,” Yuu announced in Mika’s face, pushing him away.</p><p>“You know, if you think of your phone number, maybe I’ll contact you,” Mika purred.</p><p>Yuu scoffed, but the suggestion made his mind snap to his number. He clutched his head in his hands as if it’d protect it from Mika’s possible mind-reading capabilities.</p><p>“Yuu, for how cocky you act on stage, you’re hardly more mature than a child,” Mika tutted. “Try chilling out sometime. I’ll call you.” Mika picked up his guitar case and left.</p><p><em>What the actual hell?</em> Yuu’s head was spinning. For such a pretty boy, Mika was ruthless, made even worse by being able to read his mind. While he grappled with everything he’d just experienced, Yuu idly wondered how long it’d be before he received the phone call.</p><p>That night, after celebrating with his friends from the band, Yuu was happily sitting in his bed when his cellphone started ringing and nearly gave him a heart attack. It was an unknown number, so he decided to pick up.</p><p>“Hello?” Yuu started.</p><p>“Meet me at the street corner nearest the venue where you just won,” a voice said ominously.</p><p>“Why would I do that?” Yuu asked. “You could be some creepy fan waiting to kidnap me.”</p><p>“I would never kidnap such a cocky, cowardly brat,” the person on the phone said.</p><p>Yuu recognized the tone in that statement. “Oh, Mika, it’s you. Are you going to request a rematch?” He chuckled.</p><p>“Better. I want to challenge you, one on one, singer versus singer. And if I beat you, you have to admit that you find me hot.”</p><p>“What the hell. If I win, you have to tell me why you decided to sing a goddamn love song to me during a concert,” Yuu grumbled. He debated adding that Mika had to leave him alone if he won, but something made him avoid saying that.</p><p>“Great. I’ll see you in fifteen,” Mika said, and Yuu could practically hear the smirk in his tone.</p><p>Yuu sighed and changed into black jeans, a black graphic t-shirt, and green converse. He walked out the door and down the street, grateful that the meeting place was close, because he didn’t have a car. Waiting for Mika to show up, he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. He was completely ready to destroy the blonde singer <em>again</em>.</p><p>Then, he was there. Mika pulled up in an older blue Honda and got out to walk up to Yuu. Trying to look casual, Yuu couldn’t help but take in his outfit: a v-neck, skinny jeans, and boots that somehow went up his legs even higher than the last pair. <em>At this rate, he might as well wear his boots as pants.</em></p><p>Mika chuckled. “I bet you’d enjoy that, perv.”</p><p><em>Shit, I forgot he can read my mind.</em> Yuu got flustered. “How are we doing this challenge, anyway?” He asked to change the subject and keep his mind from straying.</p><p>“We’re going to my place. I have a karaoke machine there that very accurately judges the quality of your performance,” Mika said.</p><p>“You’re taking me to your <em>house</em>?” Yuu asked, trying to keep his heart from aborting mission due to panic.</p><p>“Yeah, is there a problem, Mr. Brave and Cocky?”</p><p>Yuu grumbled. “Your nicknames suck.”</p><p>“Whatever, Yuu-chan. I’m about to drive away, so if you aren’t backing out, get in.”</p><p>With a blush and an annoyed sigh, Yuu climbed into the passenger side of the car and put on his seatbelt. He wouldn’t admit it, but cars unnerved him ever since an accident he’d been in as a child. Mika noticed how tense he was but chose not to comment on it, because he knew it was a sensitive topic, too sensitive for teasing. Luckily, Mika was a really good driver and didn’t make any sudden movements or accelerations that could make Yuu freak out.</p><p>They soon reached Mika’s house. It was small and situated in one of those neighborhoods where all the houses were identical. He parked, smiled at Yuu mischievously, and got out of the car. <em>What am I getting myself into</em>? Yuu wondered before remembering that Mika could probably hear that. Mika unlocked the door and held it open for Yuu, who scoffed at him as he walked through. Inside, there was a huge flat screen TV with the whole karaoke set up in front of it already. Yuu focused really hard on not having any thoughts or opinions about that.</p><p>Mika handed the microphone to him. “Ladies first,” he said.</p><p>“Then you should go,” Yuu retorted. “You’re the one with thigh-high boots and shoulder-length hair.” He pushed the microphone back into his hands</p><p>“You’re the one who can’t stop blushing,” Mika pointed out, pushing back.</p><p>“Goldilocks, take the damn mic,” Yuu growled.</p><p>“But Yuu~, you’re my guest,” Mika objected, and the glint in his eyes showed just how much he was enjoying this.</p><p>Yuu’s mind and mouth resorted to incomprehensible gibberish after that, making Mika laugh. He snatched the microphone. “I get to pick a song, right?” He asked, looking around for a remote.</p><p>“Nope! I’m picking your songs, and you pick mine,” Mika explained with a smile that looked innocent, but Yuu perceived to be pure evil.</p><p>“I’m picking the gayest possible song for you,” Yuu muttered.</p><p>“I bet that’s exactly what you want to hear from these lips, after all,” Mika replied, scrolling through the songs.</p><p>“I mean gay as in dumb.”</p><p>“So you’re calling yourself dumb now?” Mika asked.</p><p>“You don’t know if I’m gay or not.”</p><p>“I can read your mind, and you are incapable of having straight thoughts,” Mika said. “Or is it just the effect I have on you?” He added with a smirk.</p><p>“Shut up and pick a song so I can leave and forget this ever happened,” Yuu urged him in a low voice. <em>God, I can’t stand how cocky he is.</em></p><p>Mika made a small noise and picked a song. “Have fun, Prince Charming.” He planted a small kiss on Yuu’s cheek before settling down on the couch to watch and most likely judge him.</p><p>Yuu didn’t even have time to yell at him before the song was starting. He pulled the microphone up to his lips and waited for the words to appear. The song was College Boy (English version) by Indochine. Yuu was surprised when the song wasn’t that difficult at first. Some of the lyrics came across a little odd, but he assumed that it was just because it hadn’t translated across completely. He actually found himself enjoying the song until one line almost made him choke:</p><p>“and I will touch your legs,</p><p>when you'll open your eyes,</p><p>then make it taste on your skin,</p><p>feels like paradise”</p><p>Yuu tried not to think about how much innuendo those lines probably held, especially when he felt Mika staring at him with an almost animalistic look. He regained his confidence and kept singing. Then, to make it even worse, the song switched to French for an entire four lines. He attempted to sing them without knowing how they were pronounced, cursing Mika in his mind angrily. Then, it was finally over.</p><p>“Why would you pick a song that wasn’t completely in English?” Yuu demanded. “And what was that one line about?”</p><p>Mika looked at him. “Sorry, I forgot it had that French section,” he said, not sounding very apologetic. “And that one section is tame compared to the original French version.”</p><p>Yuu rolled his eyes and started trying to think of a good payback song. He finally found one and smirked. <em>This should be good.</em> He thought, causing Mika to snap his attention to the screen. He picked Dick of Death by Pansy Division. Mika had a feeling this was going to feel like a personal attack to sing, but he was determined to win.</p><p>And of course it had that punk style of singing that’s difficult for him to pull of but would probably be easy for Yuu. The subject matter, as expected, was indeed the gayest Mika had encountered in a while. He made it through the song and his throat burned.</p><p>“Happy now?” Mika asked. “You got me to sing about fantasizing about some random guy’s crotch.”</p><p>Yuu was laughing so hard he’d fallen on the floor by then. He gradually calmed down and looked up at Mika. “What happens now? Do we pick more songs?”</p><p>Mika thought about it. “How about I pick a song for myself and you pick a song for you after?”</p><p>“That’s usually how karaoke works, so yeah.” He pulled himself back onto the couch to lounge on it.</p><p>After thinking for a while, Mika decided to sing End of the Earth by Marina. It was one of those songs that he was good at, and it really displayed his talent. Although his voice was deeper than hers had been in the original, it still fit in perfectly with the music. Yuu watched him, wide-eyed and almost moved to tears, although he hoped Mika didn’t know that. He had no idea how he was supposed to follow that.</p><p>“Uh, Mika,” Yuu said after the song was over. “I think you win by default.” He still appeared to be in shock from hearing Mika. Sentimental songs were his weakness.</p><p>Mika raised his eyebrows. “That means it’s time for you to tell me. Are you sure you don’t want to try and regain your place at the top?”</p><p>“You’re a better singer than me,” Yuu admitted. “I could never hit those notes, and I usually make up for my lack of talent by putting on that act I have on stage. If I’m cocky enough, they don’t seem to care that I’m practically just yelling my emotions into the mic.”</p><p>His breath caught, and Mika set down the microphone. He leaned his knee on the couch to be closer to Yuu and lifted his chin to raise his eyes. “Yuu, don’t beat yourself up. It was just a friendly competition.”</p><p>“A <em>friendly</em> competition? What part of that was friendly?” Yuu asked, forgetting his depressing thoughts for a moment.</p><p>“The people still like you better than me, but I just wanted to beat you to see if you really are attracted to me when you think I’m better than you,” Mika said. “I was trying really hard to impress you.”</p><p>Yuu stared at him. He was only inches away at that moment. “I still didn’t take my punishment as loser. Mika… you’re extremely hot, and talented, and maybe you’d be nice if you weren’t constantly trying to irritate me.”</p><p>With a chuckle, Mika actually pulled Yuu into a hug on the couch. “I could say the same about you, Yuu-chan.”</p><p>“Oh my god, are you gay?” Yuu asked, turning to look at Mika.</p><p>“Well yeah,” Mika said, as if it was obvious. He had been kind of flirting with him for the past several minutes and made him sing a mildly inappropriate song and now he was hugging him.</p><p>“I just thought you weren’t? You have so many fangirls that I guess I assumed,” Yuu muttered. “I’m sorry I made you sing that song.”</p><p>“Just because I don’t go around writing songs about my long-lost gay lover doesn’t mean I’m not gay. And you have fangirls too.”</p><p>“I still never said I was gay,” Yuu reminded him.</p><p>“Yuu, are you gay?” Mika asked, rolling his eyes.</p><p>Yuu looked into his blue eyes that had annoyed and entranced him all evening. “Yes.”</p><p>“Good, because you’re an attractive loser. Will you yell your emotions for me tonight?” Mika asked, using Yuu’s words from earlier.</p><p>“I think that’s the worst pickup line I have <em>ever</em> heard,” Yuu said, blushing.</p><p>Mika smiled, and it was the first smile Yuu had seen since meeting him that day that didn’t hold any ulterior motives or emotions. He felt his breath taken away by that sight. He met Yuu’s eyes and then trailed his gaze down to his lips very deliberately, dropping his eyelids a little. <em>This is going to be amazing. </em>Then, they were kissing, because he heard Yuu’s thoughts.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Song lyrics from this video:<br/>https://youtu.be/AeOur6gdQhs</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Day 11 - Magic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yuu and Mika live in a universe where there are wizards, but Yuu's bloodline won't allow him to be one. He's always wanted to be something he can't, but he's settled to research magic instead. Mika, a wizard who didn't have parents to teach him how to keep a hold on his magic, is seeking a way to safely use the magic that runs in his veins. Both are Magic the Gathering players, even though the game is seen as childish and embarrassing to be caught playing.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yuu hated how unfair it was. Everyone who had magic seemed unwilling to use it. They could do <em>anything</em>, and yet they often just smiled and pretended not to be gifted. Yuu refused to believe that wizards were just the average people they pretended to be. He had wanted to be a wizard, ever since he was a toddler, and yet he had the unfortunate bloodline that didn’t allow him to develop the necessary formation of plasma in his blood. Wizards had a mutation in which their blood contained less plasma, allowing for more room for whatever magic was to live in their bloodstreams.</p><p>When he was forced to give up his impossible dream, Yuu did the next best thing: he wanted to become a magic researcher. It wasn’t as glamorous, and hardly anyone knew about the occupation, but it allowed him to be in close proximity with both magic and wizards. His inner child screamed in excitement at the opportunity. The only problem was, only one college in the entire country offered an MMA, Major in Magic Arts. This was due to the fact that most people involved with magic had been acquainted with it since a young age, because it was a part of them. He tried really hard in high school to maintain good grades, hoping he might be given an opportunity to get into the prestigious university.</p><p>Somehow, after a few scares with Cs and Ds, the day arrived that Yuu received his acceptance letter. The magic used to transport the mail to him slowly dissipated, and he could feel it thrumming in his hands as he held the letter. Taking a deep breath, he slowly tore it open. Then, he squealed and ran into his cottage to tell his dad the news. That night, they had curry to celebrate, and Yuu started to plan how he’d make it to the campus on time. It was usually assumed that students had access to magical transportation, but his small town didn’t have any. He calculated the distance on a map. It’d take two weeks to travel there on foot. Not wanting to take any chances for being late, Yuu decided to pack his things and leave the following morning.</p><p>All of his belongings fit into a small sack, including a well-worn book of magic legends and a deck of Magic the Gathering cards that he’d refused to give up, even as a young adult. Most people, particularly wizards, found it humorous how anyone could take such a game seriously. Yuu didn’t care if anyone made fun of him, he was getting closer to his fulfilling his plan B dream and that was all that mattered to him.</p><p>The trek to campus wasn’t too bad. Yuu rested every few days when he could find somewhere to curl up and sleep. His body was strong from helping his dad on the farm and training, because his dad insisted on him learning to fight, believing that someday the wizards would decide to kill people like them off. ‘You have to be physically strong to defend against magic. Match their abilities with what you can.’ He had instructed Yuu. Even thought he didn’t believe a wizard would ever attack him, Yuu appreciated the time spent strengthening his body and confidence.</p><p>Yuu had to admit, the college was even more impressive than he’d imagined. He stood at the threshold gawking for a few minutes.</p><p>“It sure is grand,” a voice beside him said warmly, causing Yuu to jump. He looked over to see a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes with a thin satchel.</p><p>“Yeah,” Yuu agreed.</p><p>The boy turned to look at him and smiled. “I’m Mika. Are you new here, too?”</p><p>Yuu looked him up and down. He didn’t have the same physical traits as a person lacking magic usually did—dark hair, green eyes, or both—and yet he wore a commoner’s outfit similar to Yuu’s. “I’m Yuu,” he replied, shaking the boy’s hand. Sparks flew through his arm, and he was sure it was magic he felt. “Yeah, I just got here for my first year.”</p><p>“Me too,” Mika said cheerily. “What do you want to major in?”</p><p>“Um, magic research,” Yuu replied awkwardly.</p><p>Mika’s smile grew wider. “Same here.”</p><p>His eyes must’ve widened, because Mika looked away and sighed. “It’s going to be hard for me in that field,” he admitted, losing his happy demeanor.</p><p>“Why?” Yuu asked quietly, trying not to assume anything.</p><p>“Because I’m a wizard,” Mika said. When he looked at him, Yuu was trying not to shout. He wanted to believe that the blonde boy was just putting on that act, but he appeared genuinely nervous and vulnerable. “Not very many wizards need the intensive study of magic to understand it, but I didn’t have anyone to teach me how to use it. Uncontrollable magic can be dangerous.”</p><p>Yuu hadn’t ever thought of a wizard not knowing how to use the magic they had before. He felt his perception shifting uncomfortably. “If anyone bothers you for studying magic, I’ll make sure they pay,” Yuu found himself saying protectively.</p><p>Mika’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’d defend me, even though I’m a wizard and we’ve only just met?”</p><p>“I know what it’s like to not fit in,” Yuu said. “I…used to believe that wizards were above me, but I’m starting to see that I wasn’t looking at every possibility. You seem like a genuinely nice guy.”</p><p>“Wow,” Mika breathed. He hadn’t expected anyone to accept his reasoning. “I hope we’ll get to be friends.”</p><p>Yuu nodded with the hint of a smile on his lips. He was trying not to have an internal crisis about the fact that this wizard was actually nice, not just in a fake way. “I have to get to my room. I’m really tired from walking all the way here,” he said.</p><p>“I’ll see you around!” Mika said.</p><p>Waving, Yuu started to walk towards his housing complex. He glanced over his shoulder to see Mika walking a different direction. He made his way to his room and collapsed on the mattress. It was so luxurious compared to what he was used to. He drifted off to sleep, and his bag of belongings slid from his hand.</p><p>After getting food, Mika walked to his room. He had been so excited to get to campus that he’d forgotten about his lack of sleep for the past few nights. When he opened the door, he found his roommate face-down, asleep on the bed to the right of the room. Unfortunately, his bag had spilled on the floor, making a mess. Mika calmly righted the book that was sitting open and collected the Magic cards into a neat stack on the desk for him. He carefully pushed the clothes back into the bag. Then, looking at his sleeping roommate, he realized that it was Yuu. For some reason, he was both thrilled and anxious about sharing a room with him. He’d known that people in the same department housed together, but he hadn’t thought he’d end up with the only boy he’d met on campus. He spent some time putting away his few things in a drawer before slipping off his boots and falling asleep on his bed.</p><p>In the morning, Yuu stretched and sat up. He noticed that his roommate had appeared in the night. Wait, said roommate was Mika. He blushed in embarrassment when he saw his cards on his dresser and knew that he must’ve seen them. They were going to share a room for who knew how long. He wasn’t sure why the prospect of sleeping so close to the blonde and sharing a space with him made his heart race. Mika opened his blue eyes to find Yuu staring at him like a deer in headlights.</p><p>“Good morning,” Mika said. “Unfortunately, with us being roommates, you get to see my horrid bedhead.”</p><p>Yuu wanted to say that his bedhead was super cute, but he stopped himself. Being roommates would be extremely awkward if he started out complimenting and flirting with the boy. “Have you seen my hair?” He said instead. “Bedhead is my trademark style.”</p><p>Mika smiled at him, still lying on his side. “I have seen your hair, it suits your handsome face perfectly.”</p><p>Fighting the blush rising to his face, Yuu decided that maybe Mika was better at magic than he thought he was. There was no way he was making Yuu so flustered without using a spell.</p><p>“Uh, thanks,” he finally muttered.</p><p>The blonde hummed lightheartedly and sat up. “So I saw that you play Magic.”</p><p>Yuu tensed up, ready to be mocked. “Yeah.”</p><p>“Want to play?” Mika reached into his drawer and pulled out a deck.</p><p>“Sure,” Yuu said, not able to keep the surprise out of his tone.</p><p>They played all morning, Mika with a white-blue deck, and Yuu with black-green. When Mika lost, he smiled at Yuu. “You’ll have to teach me your ways,” he said.</p><p>“I can try,” Yuu offered. “But what do I get in return?”</p><p>Mika thought about it for a few seconds. “How about a kiss?”</p><p>When Yuu looked like he was about to panic, Mika added, “On the forehead.”</p><p>“Uh, okay,” Yuu stammered. He shouldn’t have freaked out, what if Mika had wanted to actually kiss him? He didn’t know how to bring it up without sounding like he wanted that to happen. And damn it, they were roommates, and they’d only just met. <em>And </em>Mika was a wizard, not that it mattered to Yuu. He just pictured his dad throwing a fit. It was only a kiss, though. “But can it be a kiss on…on the lips instead?” He finally asked.</p><p>“Only if you teach me well enough that I can beat you,” Mika said, his eyes sparkling.</p><p>Yuu wasn’t sure how he was going to pull that off, but he wanted to try. He spent the rest of the evening teaching Mika tactics and all he knew about his specific type of deck. Luckily, he was almost an expert on the game. He even revealed what his deck’s weaknesses were. Mika listened and practiced intently, noticing how determined the boy seemed. He must’ve really wanted that kiss.</p><p>By nightfall, it was time to play for real for the second time. Mika was trying as hard as he could, and Yuu was playing less aggressively than his usual, although he pretended he was giving it his all. He was so curious about what the kiss would be like. He kept muttering about how bad his hand was, although his most powerful cards kept appearing, and he kept discarding them for weaker ones without Mika knowing. After an hour, Mika won hardcore and beamed triumphantly.</p><p>“Thank you so much for teaching me,” Mika gushed, throwing his arms around Yuu. He was happy that Yuu wasn’t a sore loser, either. But maybe that was just because he expected a kiss.</p><p>Yuu’s heart started speeding up with Mika so close to him. He could feel the boy’s heart rate racing against his chest. Mika gently rolled them over so Yuu was under him, lying on his back, facing Mika.</p><p>“Let me thank you properly,” he whispered. His lips met Yuu’s, lightly at first and then slowly pushing deeper. Yuu kissed back, not expecting the kiss to be more than a peck. He hadn’t ever kissed someone like this before, and it made him dizzy with excitement.</p><p>Once they separated, Yuu was gasping for air, staring up at Mika. “Damn, I didn’t expect that. I guess you actually wanted to kiss me.”</p><p>Mika nodded. “I guess so,” he whispered breathlessly. He didn’t move off of Yuu and stared at him like that on the floor. Being roommates was going to be amazing. “You obviously wanted me to, because you went easy on me in Magic.”</p><p>“I did not,” Yuu said.</p><p>“Just wait until I can control my magic. I’ll get the truth out of you,” Mika threatened lightly. He sat back and started collecting his cards.</p><p>Yuu stayed on the ground for a few seconds in a daze before picking up his cards too. He blushed, thinking about what had just happened, and wondered how things could possibly go back to normal so quickly after a kiss like that. It unnerved him. He didn’t want the moment to be over. So, after putting his cards safely on his desk, he pulled Mika back onto the floor with Yuu pinning him lightly with his body and planted a second kiss on his lips. Mika made a soft noise in his throat and wrapped his arms around the boy’s neck to pull Yuu closer. After a few minutes, Yuu broke the kiss to breathe.</p><p>“If I find out you put a spell on me to make me feel like this,” Yuu panted. “I’m going to freak.”</p><p>Mika shook his head. “I-I wouldn’t do that.”</p><p>“I’m looking forward to seeing your cute bedhead every morning,” Yuu said quietly, causing him to blush.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Day 12 - Mutual Pining</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yuu and Mika are in high school. Yuu is a basketball player who had to fight his way to being accepted as a good player, and Mika is a semi-famous painter. Mika makes a point of visiting every basketball game to watch Yuu, although he's never talked to him. Yuu admires the artist and wants to support him at one of his art shows someday. They both have undeniable feelings for the other but can't push past their uncertainties enough to do more than admire from afar.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mika knew that Yuu wasn’t a very popular player at first. He was late to hit his growth spurt, so he was a full head shorter than all the other guys playing. Despite his determination and passion for the game, people didn’t believe he would be good enough. He’d been playing on the team since middle school, and he hadn’t ever given up. Although Mika didn’t even particularly like sports, he had been silently rooting for the boy since he first signed up. When Yuu finally broke past their expectations and became a star basketball player, Mika felt a sense of pride. He had been the only one who believed in him, and now he made it, and Mika felt a small amount of satisfaction at having known he would make it against all odds. He hadn’t ever talked to Yuu, and the basketball player probably didn’t even know who he was despite them going to the same school, but Mika continued to show his support by showing up to every game.</p><p>Yuu didn’t want to be one of those stereotypical athletic guys who ignored everyone else or insulted people who weren’t like him. He found people like that disgusting and wished there weren’t so many of them on his team. He also didn’t approve of being idolized by people, or having anyone want to date him simply because he was supposed to be popular. Having been on the other side of that popularity, he felt it was all a fake construct. They didn’t deserve the fame they got. He doubted he even deserved the fame he’d gained. He hadn’t worked so hard for years to become a heartthrob or anything, he just wanted to be seen as a valid basketball player. He hadn’t told the other players, but he held a huge level of respect for art students in their high school.</p><p>One student in particular, Yuu had always admired. Mika was always such a quiet person, yet the art he produced showed that what he lacked in spoken word he made up for with a fascinating mind and style of expression. Yuu always tried to get out of practice early to explore the art hall by himself and pick out which pieces belonged to him. He had been trying to get his nerves up to visit an art show for quite some time, but he couldn’t quite figure out how to do it without his team members finding out and falling back into their habit of putting him down.</p><p>He couldn’t quite remember, but Yuu was pretty sure he’d said hi and complimented Mika on his art once when they were younger. He assumed that the other boy had forgotten all about that. It was only one exchange, after all, and Mika probably received compliments often. One thing that didn’t make sense to Yuu was that Mika always showed up to games, sat in the back of the bleachers alone, and listened to music.</p><p>If only he could convince himself to quickly get changed at the end of games and race after Mika, Yuu wondered what he’d say to the artist. He’d probably ruin his life by doing something like that. Yuu could imagine his team members assuming there was something happening between them. Basketball players didn’t often have friends outside of the team, so any friendships were automatically mocked as being potentially gay relationships. Thinking about it, Yuu blushed. He had a feeling he wouldn’t mind if he ended up that way with Mika. Even though he hadn’t even gotten up the courage to approach the boy, he tried to figure out what type of boyfriend Mika would be.</p><p>Mika was so excited for the upcoming game. He knew that if Yuu’s team won, they’d get to go to the regional tournament. Although he struggled to pay attention to the game itself, he always loved to be there. Watching the game gave him a legitimate reason to watch Yuu for over an hour, after all. He had all but memorized the way Yuu’s body moved and his facial expressions. He could easily tell how the game was going by Yuu’s emotional state. He would grit his teeth when he wasn’t doing to good and smile triumphantly when he had a way to bring his team back to the top. From a distance, Mika couldn’t see minute details of the boy’s face, but he refused to sit closer and risk people talking to him about the game or noticing where his gaze fell.</p><p>Sick of not being confident enough to just visit the darn art show for Mika, Yuu decided to do something really brash: he told his team he was sick and skipped one of their biggest games of the season. He had heard that the opening was in the middle of the game, and that Mika was supposed to be displaying some of his best paintings that night. Yuu wanted to show his support and prove to people that he cared about people outside of his social sphere. He also really wanted to see Mika closer. Maybe it would be the night he finally talked to him. He reminded himself not to think about the strange fantasies he’d had of going on a date with the boy.</p><p>Yuu had to force himself not to dress overly nice for the event. He stuck with just slightly above casual. For some reason, he was extremely nervous. He walked to the café where the show was being held and started to look at the art before anyone arrived for the opening in about half an hour. His chest felt like something was constricting it. Mika wasn’t there yet. Yuu felt out of his element, but he wanted so badly not to look like he had taken a wrong turn and accidently ended up in the space.</p><p>Sitting in his usual spot, Mika could hardly contain his anticipation. He listened to some soothing music to keep his emotions at bay and waited for the game to start. To his dismay, for the first time in years, Yuu was absent. He felt so disappointed that he almost left the game right then, but he decided to stay a little later just in case Yuu was late. It was almost halfway over when Mika accepted that Yuu wasn’t there. He sighed, checked the time, and left the game to head to the opening. He had really hoped to see Yuu beforehand to cheer him up before so much social interaction. He grimly, and overdramatically, thought that it was the worst birthday he’d had in a long while.</p><p>Mika drove to the café and tried not to cry or feel worried. He didn’t know Yuu at all, so why should he feel so worked up over him missing one game? It wasn’t like he’d done it to personally hurt Mika. He probably had a completely valid reason for not being there, but Mika felt so upset that he debated not even showing up to the opening. Everyone would be there to congratulate him and wish him happy birthday. Everyone except Yuu. Begrudgingly, he parked near the café and walked inside.</p><p>There were many people there that he didn’t even recognize, and a few that he did. His friends had been too busy to make it, but his art teacher was there to tell him happy birthday and offered to buy him a soda. He sipped at his cream soda and watched the other artists interacting with people happily. Then, he wandered the space, observing the other art. He almost dropped his drink when he saw Yuu across the room staring at one of his paintings for an extended period of time as if trying to find its hidden secrets. Why was he <em>there</em> and not at the game? Mika blushed. It had to be a coincidence. There was no way Yuu had shown up for him. He kept his distance, watching Yuu less directly than he would during a game.</p><p>Yuu loved this one painting Mika had done called ‘Fondness from Afar’. He wanted to have it for himself and pretend that Mika had painted it while thinking of him. Checking the tag next to it, he saw that it was $45. He walked away from it to find the owner of the café. On his way, he made sure he still had $50 in his wallet from work. Sometimes being a waiter paid off. He talked to the man for a few minutes, paid, and was handed a blue sticker to mark the painting as his. Walking back over, he placed the sticker on the tag. He sighed in relief before it dawned on him that he still hadn’t seen Mika. Would it still be worth skipping the game if Mika didn’t show up?</p><p>Spinning around, Yuu spotted Mika across the room, watching him until their eyes met and he looked away. He blushed involuntarily. Mika was there, and he was almost sure he was looking at him the entire time he’d been admiring and purchasing his painting. He caught Mika smile slightly before vanishing into the crowd.</p><p>Mika couldn’t help the emotions and thoughts flying through his mind. Yuu had actually bought one of his paintings. He had bought <em>that</em> painting, as if he somehow knew it was a reference to him. Maybe Mika’s birthday wasn’t so bad, after all. He’d at least gotten to see Yuu, much closer than he was used to being. Even though he hadn’t looked for long, Mika had noticed the way Yuu’s eyebrows peaked out from behind his black hair, how his skin was unblemished and looked like it’d be smooth to the touch. Now, he’d often think of how the painting would get to see Yuu’s house and pieces of Yuu’s life that Mika wasn’t a part of. The thought made him smile. What a good birthday present. He couldn’t bring himself to talk to Yuu face to face, yet, so he turned around and left the opening. Hope and suspicion fought in his heart, because he couldn’t believe Yuu would actually want something he’d painted. He’d come back for his money, $45 of which was from Yuu, later.</p><p>There had to be some logical explanation for why Yuu had skipped his game for the art show, and for why he had bought Mika’s painting. Mika stayed up that night trying to figure it out. It had to be some coincidence, because there was no way Yuu had been there for him or his work. Yuu didn’t even know him. He probably just liked the aesthetic of the painting and didn’t even think about who had made it when he bought it. Mika longed for an ideal world in which Yuu would give up such an important game to show him support.</p><p>Yuu happily hung up the painting in his room. He couldn’t get enough of it and stared at it for so long, picking out details he hadn’t even noticed in the show. He’d had to wait for two weeks before it was his to take home. In the brushstrokes, he could almost imagine Mika’s hands moving over the canvas gently yet passionately. He longed for Mika to paint so passionately for his sake but knew that it couldn’t be true. Mika had been watching him at the art show, but surely that was because he wanted to know the fate of his painting. There was no reason for Mika to be interested in Yuu’s actions. Despite the gloomy thought, Yuu decided to go to more of Mika’s art shows, even if it didn’t make a difference to the blonde.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Happy birthday, Mika!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Day 13 - College (Role Reversal part 4)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Since the Role Reversal story was already set in a College AU, I decided to continue it for this prompt. There are some awkward moments and hints of Yuu's past. And, of course, more nicknames provided by Shinoa.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The car ride to the park seemed to take much longer than usual. Mika was highly aware that his side was touching Yuu’s. He met Shinoa’s eyes in the rearview mirror and glared at her, knowing she had probably planned to have them sit back there together on purpose. She seemed hell-bent on making his weekend as awkward as possible.</p><p>“So, how was your first week?” Mika finally asked, deciding it wouldn’t be so weird if he talked to the boy.</p><p>Yuu turned to look at him “It was okay I guess, my classes are boring,” he replied. “You?”</p><p>“I had a lot of fun, but I got all the classes I wanted this time. Last year really sucked for classes. I ended up having to take French, and the amount of homework I had nearly killed me,” Mika explained.</p><p>“You learned French?” Yuu asked curiously.</p><p>“Oui, j’ai appris beaucoup,” Mika replied softly with a smile.</p><p>Letting out a nervous chuckle, Yuu looked out the window. “I have no clue what you just said.”</p><p>“I said ‘yes, I learned a lot.’”</p><p>Yuu’s only response was a quiet grunt.</p><p>By that point, Mika was almost certain Shinoa had taken a different route to the park, so they’d be stuck in the car longer. He looked ahead and saw Kimizuki and Yoichi holding hands and Mitsuba resting her hand on Shinoa’s thigh and blushed with envy and embarrassment. He wondered how Yuu felt about it and turned to look at the boy. Yuu was too busy leaning on his hand and staring out the window. Mika wished he could take a picture of the way the sun fell perfectly on the boy’s black hair and make his green eyes glow.</p><p>Mika began to feel vaguely car sick from Shinoa’s driving and decided he should look out the window too. He watched trees and cliffs pass by as the road wound down from the mountainous area towards a valley. They were soon parked and ready to begin hiking. As always, Shinoa and Mitsuba went ahead of everyone, clinging to each other affectionately in a way that almost made Mika sick to his stomach. Kimizuki and Yoichi walked after them, calmly holding hands to revel in their relationship without making people uncomfortable. Mika was in the back of the group as usual, but it was entirely different now that Yuu was there with them. For once, he actually had someone to talk to.</p><p>“Are they always like that?” Yuu asked.</p><p>“Pretty much. I’m usually just a fifth wheel who takes pictures for everyone,” Mika said.</p><p>“Doesn’t that kind of suck?”</p><p>Mika shrugged. “They’re my friends, so I’m glad to see them happy. But I am excited you’re here this time, so I have someone to talk to.”</p><p>Yuu fell silent, taking in how the trees arched over the pathway ahead. They had slowed down enough that they couldn’t see the boys in front of them. It felt like it was just them, and Mika was surprised it was a comfortable silence that settled between them for several steps.</p><p>“You’re the only one who knows I brought a toy with me to college,” Yuu finally said. <em>It must’ve really bothered him that I found it.</em> Mika thought.</p><p>“It’s not that big of a deal. I still have one of my toys in my dorm,” Mika admitted. “Where did you transfer from?”</p><p>“Demon’ica Community College. Most of the people who go there just call it Democo or just Demon,” Yuu said. “It wasn’t a very nice place to be.”</p><p>“I hope it’s better here,” Mika said softly. He didn’t want to pry into why the other college hadn’t been good.</p><p>“It already is,” Yuu said.</p><p>They’re conversation was cut off when they rounded a bend in the path to find the other students stripping down to their underwear and jumping into the lake. Mika groaned. He hated when they went swimming, because it usually led to watery making out and other uncomfortable things. Yuu also seemed to pause uncertainly when he saw them in the water.</p><p>“Oh, I didn’t know we were going swimming,” he muttered.</p><p>“You don’t have to. I might sit it out, honestly. They tend to get worse when they’re in the water,” Mika said.</p><p>Then, Shinoa noticed them and tried to fling water up the shore. “Hey, stop being wallflowers and get wet!” She shouted at them, earning a giggle from Mitsuba who treaded water next to her.</p><p>Mika grumbled something before saying, “If you don’t want to swim, I’ll stay out here with you.”</p><p>“Don’t be <em>cowards</em>, pussies afraid to get your feet wet,” Shinoa kept taunting.</p><p>Yuu’s eyes narrowed with a new expression Mika couldn’t quite place. “No, I’ll go in,” he said in a low tone.</p><p>Swallowing nervously, Mika nodded. He realized this would mean he was really close to seeing Yuu almost completely naked, and the idea made him blush and turn his back. Slowly, he started to wiggle out of his clothes until he was just wearing boxers. He glanced over his shoulder to see Yuu was wearing only black briefs. He fought the blush rising to his cheeks by quickly stepping into the cold water. By the splash and hiss intake of breath, he assumed Yuu had followed him in.</p><p>Mika continued to wade, only daring to look at the boy when he was waist-deep in the water. That was when he noticed Yuu had stopped walking, standing there looking lost in the water that lapped at his stomach. He gave him a curious look.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Mika asked.</p><p>“I…can’t swim,” Yuu replied.</p><p>Before Mika could reply, Shinoa shouted from several feet away, “Mika! Carry Yuu like in one of your romance novels,” she suggested. “The damsel is in distress.” She pointed at Yuu as if Mika didn’t know where he was.</p><p>Mika turned to her so Yuu couldn’t see his face as he scowled at her. He wanted to yell at her so badly but didn’t want Yuu to realize how flustered and upset the comment made him. Then, he checked on Yuu again. He waded back to where Yuu had stopped and stayed by him. “Don’t listen to her.”</p><p>“I mean, if you want to go deeper in the water, you could carry me,” Yuu muttered. “I don’t want to force you to stay in the shallow section.”</p><p>“I wasn’t even going to go in the water. This’ll be fine,” Mika insisted. “Unless you want to go deeper?” He knew his ‘gentleman mode’, as Shinoa called it, was kicking in when he asked that.</p><p>Yuu looked out at the lake’s sparkling surface for a few seconds thoughtfully. “Could you take me a little further?” He asked, almost sounding shy.</p><p>“Sure. How do you want me to carry you?” Mika asked. He hadn’t expected Yuu to actually want to be carried.</p><p>“On your back? That way you can still swim, right?” Yuu said.</p><p>Mika nodded and waded closer. He sunk down on his knees in the rocks and allowed Yuu to climb onto his back, glad he couldn’t see how badly he was blushing. He could feel Yuu’s legs wrapped around him and his body pressed against his back. He tried not to let it get to his head that Yuu’s bare skin was against his, otherwise he might accidently drown them both. <em>Just keep focusing on swimming. He only wanted to go a little further.</em> He coaxed himself as he slowly swam. As the water got deeper, he felt Yuu grip onto him a little tighter, his hands grabbing at his shoulders. <em>Is he scared?</em></p><p>“How are you doing?” Mika asked, just barely able to glimpse Yuu by craning his neck.</p><p>“F-fine,” Yuu stuttered. “We can go back now.”</p><p>Mika was glad Shinoa was distracted by having a water fight with Mitsuba that ended in a kissing war, because he was sure she would’ve been making comments the whole time otherwise. He carefully swam back to the shallow water and felt Yuu slide from his back. When he looked at him, he noticed that the bottom edge of his black hair was wet. It looked really attractive.</p><p>“Thanks,” Yuu said awkwardly.</p><p>“We should probably get out to start drying off,” Mika suggested.</p><p>“Good idea.” Yuu started to walk towards the shore, and Mika realized he would be right behind him.</p><p>As Yuu made his way out of the water, Mika tried as hard as he possible could to not stare. He looked at the trees, the small waves in the lake, the rocks, the fish, Yuu’s figure, back to the trees. His eyes darted around until Yuu was finally sitting on the grass and Mika could instead look at his face and not seem creepy or weird. He sat beside him and sprawled out in the sun. The others were still enjoying their time in the water, but he didn’t mind. <em>It’s like we each have our own worlds.</em> Mika thought.</p><p>After a while, they were dry enough to put their clothes back on. The four in the water noticed them sitting on the shore together and decided to get out too.</p><p>“Are we interrupting a romantic moment?” Shinoa asked when she made it out of the water first, pulling Mitsuba behind her by the hand.</p><p>“You two are so cute,” Mitsuba added with a smile.</p><p>“Shinoa, stop bothering them,” Kimizuki yelled. He was still pretty far from the shore. “Mika might be dumb, but he’s not dumb enough to fall in love after one day at the park. If you keep talking about it though, you might confuse him!”</p><p>“I’m not dumb, and Shinoa doesn’t <em>confuse </em>me! She’s just annoying.” Mika shouted at him, showing his middle finger.</p><p>Yoichi didn’t have anything to say and instead focused on doggy paddling out of the water.</p><p>Meanwhile, Yuu was just watching them interact with a high level of interest. He hadn’t told Mika, but he’d never had a friend before. He wondered if the way they bickered was normal. It was almost mean on the surface, but somehow didn’t hold the intention or threatening quality of bullying, instead being rooted in something kindhearted and warm. He continued to think about it on the drive back, even while his arm brushed against Mika’s in the backseat, driving him crazy for some unexplainable reason.</p><p>That evening, Mika separated from the group with Yuu when the others wanted to get dinner. He said he’d get it later and walked Yuu to the Bridge. It was called that due to the actual covered bridge that connected two of the dorm buildings. Mika had always thought the bridge itself was a romantic setting.</p><p>“Did you have fun today?” Mika asked as they walked towards the building.</p><p>“Yeah,” Yuu said, looking up at him. “Thanks for inviting me.”</p><p>Mika nodded with a smile, opening the front door by scanning his college card. Yuu followed him inside.</p><p>“Do you want me to walk you to your room?” Mika offered.</p><p>“No, that’s fine. I just live right over here,” Yuu lied nervously.</p><p>“Alright, have a nice night, Yuu,” Mika said warmly.</p><p>“You too. And Mika?” Yuu asked hesitantly.</p><p>“Hmm?”</p><p>“Can I hug you?”</p><p>Nodding, Mika gently pulled Yuu into a hug. They separated a few seconds later, and Mika noticed that Yuu was smiling.</p><p>“I’ll see you soon,” Mika said and climbed the stairs towards his dorm.</p><p>Yuu sighed, feeling content with how the day had gone. He waited a few seconds before also climbing the stairs. For some reason, he didn’t want Mika to know they lived on the same floor yet. Although the boy and his friends seemed nice enough, Yuu was still suspicious and mildly paranoid due to his past experiences.</p><p>For the first time, Mika understood why people in musicals burst out into song after such moments. His chest felt like it was high in the sky, his body lighter than a feather. He found himself happily humming while he lounged on his bed. He got multiple successive texts while he was thinking about the day, replaying his favorite parts over and over in his mind.</p><p>
  <strong>Prince Charming at it again, carrying his Yuu-chan across the treacherous water</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Bet you’re glad I convinced you to get in now that you got to feel his body flush against yours</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>ALSO Yuu totally checked you out while you were stripping ;) </strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>What?</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>He was staring so much, like you were a painting and he was a painter ready to put his paintbrush all on you</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Please stop using the paintbrush euphemism. This is what, the fourth time since we’ve been friends?</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>That’s less than once a year. I think it needs to be used more often</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Mika decided to stop replying to Shinoa at that point. He thought about whether or not she’d be telling the truth about Yuu staring at him, or if it was just another case of her trying to play matchmaker. He went back to thinking about how amazing the day had been. Finally, he decided to check his computer to make sure he didn’t have any homework over the weekend. He noticed he had an email.</p><p>
  <strong>Hiking</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Hey Mika,</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Thanks again for inviting me to go with you today. I really enjoyed it! Hopefully we can do something else together soon, maybe just us? Your friends are great too, but their pda might be weird in a more public space. I was thinking one of the restaurants near campus.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Looking forward to seeing you again,</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Yuu</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Mika read the email three times, because the first put him into shock, the second into disbelief, and the third into a fit of excitement. Yuu wanted to go to a restaurant with him! <em>It’s practically a date.</em> He made sure he didn’t have any homework before cuddling his bunny toy to his chest until he calmed down enough to respond.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Hi Yuu,</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>I’m glad you had such a good time! I did too. I’d love to go to a restaurant with you anytime. Even I’ve been getting burnt out by how affectionate my friends are, so I understand. </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Hopefully see you soon,</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Mika</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Day 14 - Divine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yuu is an angel who doesn't want to be around the other angels, so he decides to live on the surface among people instead. He also doesn't believe in good or evil and only does the right thing when he feels like it. Mika is a demon who struggles to be cruel enough for his job description.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <em>One day, our beloved angel will be so sorrowful that he will require a demon to cheer him up. I know it is unheard of for a demon and an angel to interact, but there is nothing else that will be able to be done to help our favorite angel. We must turn a blind eye when this happens, no matter how hard it is on our morals and instincts. This day shall come when he is living among mortals, his true identity unbeknownst to the world.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>The board of angels perceived the unsettling news. They had all been mortal once and longed to see the surface, if not for the demons roaming among the humans. These angels, much like vampires, had been turned into what they were by a painful ritual. Some of them had gone through this against their will, for none of them dared question the head of the angels. He was the one who broadcasted the prophecy to the lower ranking angels. Through the message, they all knew exactly who he was referring to: Yuu.</p><p>Yuu wasn’t like other angels. He was younger than all the rest, for one thing. He also didn’t believe in being morally good for any reason than ‘for the hell of it, excuse his French’. If someone tried to decide his alignment, that person would’ve been terribly confused. He didn’t believe anyone could be truly good or evil, no matter how the other angels insisted such thinking would ruin his perception of their black and white world. Yet, due to the angelic influences, he had a deep determination to help anyone in his own way, even if that meant hurting someone else. The others often asked him how he determined who was worthy and he laughed and said, ‘whoever I like better’. This appalled them.</p><p>On top of everything else, Yuu found it easiest to return to the surface after being turned. It came naturally to him, when some of the others hadn’t ever managed it. The other angels were simultaneously drawn to and repulsed by him, which resulted in them treating him like a younger sibling or child. They adored him, even more so for all of his flaws that they thought needed extra guidance. The coddling of the others inevitably drove Yuu away until he decided to stay on the surface and live like a human.</p><p> </p><p>Yuu hummed happily to himself as he lined up his camera to snap a photo. He loved taking photography at the early hours of the morning, when the sun first streamed through the leaves of the trees in small rays to play among the shadows like old friends. His favorite subject matter was this interaction between light and shadow in general. A show was coming up soon, and he hoped they would let him enter a few in. He realized his camera was full and climbed into his beat-up black Jeep to drive home. Most other angels who were able to go to the surface probably would’ve used miracles and helped people, but Yuu just acted like it was an extension of his previous life that had been stolen from him. The higher up angels couldn’t even reach him beyond frantic mental transmissions, so he listened to music in earbuds to drown them out.</p><p>In his small rental home, he went immediately to his makeshift dark room to develop his photos. In the red light, he ran a hand through his hair and worked with them to see how they turned out. They were gorgeous, but something felt like it was missing. On his own with all of his curtains drawn, he let his wings spread out. Although he could will them out of existence temporarily, they started to irritate him like an itch in the back of his mind if he kept them away for too long. He flapped raven feathers to get the blood flowing and sighed in relief.</p><p>After hanging up the photos to dry, he carefully left the room to lounge on his bed. He missed needing sleep and being able to dream. Days felt so long without it. It gave him more time to find new hobbies, but it also gave him more time to accidentally think about what he’d done. His conscience treated the situation as if he was a teenager who ran away from home. He feared for the day he’d actually begin to miss the angels.</p><p>For some reason, the person putting together the show refused all of Yuu’s photos from the portfolio. Feeling defeated, he slowly trudged home and curled up on his couch after destroying the photos that hadn’t been good enough. His chest felt heavy, and he longed for an escape from the rejection. Sleep would’ve been perfect for his situation, but since he had already tried and failed so many times, he decided to go out on a walk instead. He pulled on a black hoodie and slipped on some sneakers before making his way to the sidewalk outside his house. He idly wondered how upset the others would get if he tried some alcohol.</p><p>Yuu found his way to a hybrid coffee bar, because he knew any other setting would be seen as downright ‘sinful’. He casually ordered a sweet drink, feeling grateful that he’d been turned after he was twenty-one. After his first sip, he hesitated as if expecting something to happen. He chuckled at the thought of one of the higher up angels smiting him for drinking a single alcoholic beverage. Their rules were stupid. Its not like an angel could get drunk anyway. When he was about to finish his drink, he heard a scuffle across the room.</p><p>“Really?” A voice asked in a challenging tone. “I’d like to see you try!”</p><p>Yuu looked over to see a muscular man who must’ve been almost seven feet tall aggressively staring down a shorter blonde who was probably college age. In this situation, Yuu decided he liked the blonde better and slid off of his chair. He jogged across the room and threw the huge man down on the ground and punched him in the nose. His adrenaline dissipated quickly and he stood to check on the blonde.</p><p>“What in <em>heaven</em> did you do that for?” The blonde demanded, saying ‘heaven’ as if it was the worst possible curse word.</p><p>“You’re welcome,” Yuu replied sarcastically. “You were about to get beat up.”</p><p>“I know, I was provoking him,” he replied, crossing his arms. “Would you rather I provoke you? I need to get in a fight tonight to cool off.”</p><p>“Good luck, it’s physically impossible to influence my mood,” Yuu boasted.</p><p>“Is that a challenge?”</p><p>He raised his eyebrows. “Sure.”</p><p>For a few seconds, Mika looked the boy over, trying to figure out what to say. Usually, it was easy to find insults, but why did the boy have to be so damn <em>attractive</em> and almost innocent looking. He found himself worrying about making him cry. He debated just using his influence on him. That would be easier, and he could assure he would piss him off instead of sending him crying to his mother. He willed the boy to become extremely angry.</p><p>Yuu stared at the blonde, blinking a few times in confusion. “Are you trying to develop laser vision or something? So far, you haven’t even tried.”</p><p>Taken aback that his power had failed him, Mika’s eyes widened before narrowing. “You’re short,” he stated.</p><p>“Really?” Yuu snorted. “I didn’t notice, charmer. Tell me more.”</p><p>“And you have bedhead,” Mika added uncertainly.</p><p>“I’m so hurt,” Yuu said sarcastically, chuckling. “Maybe try to say something other than a fact.”</p><p>“You’re an arrogant bastard who has no one in life,” Mika tried. Most people who were in the bar alone were.</p><p>“Hmm, a little better.”</p><p>“And you’re still a virgin.”</p><p>For some reason, that made Yuu blush. “Maybe.” He didn’t want to be discussing his sex life with this alluring stranger. He could tell this guy was charming when he wanted to be and terrible at actual insults.</p><p>“I imagine you hope someone will tell you it was <em>divine</em> after your first time.”</p><p>Yuu spluttered. “Absolutely not.”</p><p>Mika noticed he had hit a nerve. “What’s wrong, <em>angel?</em>” He attempted. Perhaps the boy was a devout Christian. <em>How delicious.</em></p><p>“I have to go,” Yuu said urgently. He didn’t like being called what he was. Even though he doubted the blonde could tell, it still made him feel paranoid.</p><p>“Well, this conversation was truly <em>enlightening</em> for me,” Mika replied. “But it didn’t escalate as far as I wanted it to. You win.”</p><p>“Huh?” Yuu asked.</p><p>“You’re an interesting guy,” Mika admitted. “Can I at least walk you to your car?”</p><p>“What? You just spent fifteen minutes trying to piss me off and now you’re going to act like a gentleman? You are really weird,” Yuu retorted.</p><p>“Can I?” Mika pressed. His blue eyes sparkled in a type of puppy face.</p><p>“Whatever.”</p><p>Yuu left the bar and started walking down the sidewalk. He walked in silence, keenly aware of the boy walking behind him.</p><p>“What’s your name?” He finally asked.</p><p>“Yuu. Your’s?” He glanced over his shoulder.</p><p>“Mika,” the blonde replied.</p><p>“Why were you trying to get into a fight in the first place, Mika?” Yuu asked curiously.</p><p>“Eh, I’d rather not talk about it,” Mika said. “Why were you at the bar?”</p><p>“I…my photos got rejected for this showing,” Yuu admitted, unsure why he revealed such a vulnerable moment to Mika.</p><p>“Oh, I’m sorry,” Mika responded, sounding genuine.</p><p>“It’s so bizarre that you would even care,” Yuu muttered. He’d never met a person so confusing as Mika before.</p><p>“What if I told you my job was to get in fights with people?” Mika posed by way of explanation. “But the rest of the time I’m actually a decent being.”</p><p>“I’d say my job is to help people, but the majority of the time I don’t even get involved unless I find the people intriguing or attractive,” Yuu responded.</p><p>“So you’re a lifeguard,” Mika teased.</p><p>“Not exactly. Actually, forget I said anything.”</p><p>Mika raised his eyebrows as they kept walking. “Where did you park, anyway?” He finally asked, looking around at the empty street.</p><p>“Oh, I didn’t drive. I was just walking home,” Yuu said.</p><p>“You were taking me to your <em>house</em>. Woah, you’re interesting but not <em>that</em> special,” Mika said.</p><p>Yuu blushed at the implication. He had forgotten Mika was only walking him to his car that wasn’t actually there. “Uh, you can turn back whenever you like,” he stammered.</p><p>“I’ll keep you company. I’m still curious about this helping people gig. Do you get paid, or is it more like being a vigilante?” Mika asked.</p><p>He shrugged. “I just do what I feel like when I feel like it and people hardly notice. Like you, most don’t even thank me.”</p><p>Mika gently grabbed Yuu’s shoulder to turn him around. Before Yuu could properly process what was happening enough to panic, he pressed his lips to his cheek. For some reason, it burned ever so slightly and Yuu found that sensation irresistible. “Thank you,” Mika said quietly after pulling away.</p><p>Then, he froze in place. There was a small golden spot on Yuu’s cheek where the kiss had been planted that glowed faintly. Mika stared and his eyes widened with realization.</p><p>“What is it?” Yuu asked, covering his cheek in case he was blushing super badly.</p><p>Mika met his eyes. “You really are an angel,” he whispered in awe. “Could I actually go in your house with you?”</p><p>Silently, Yuu nodded and walked quicker after that. He was uncertain, but he wanted to know how Mika was so easily able to tell what he was. No one had ever perceived what he was, in all his years staying on the surface. Yet, here was Mika, figuring it out after only an hour. He unlocked his door and let the blonde follow him inside. When he flicked on the light, it illuminated torn photos strewn around the room.</p><p>Mika closed the door and looked at the room in shock. “Did you have a mini tornado in your living room?” He asked.</p><p>“No, just a pity party,” Yuu muttered while scrambling to collect the torn pieces.</p><p>“You don’t have to pick up for me,” Mika said, amused. “I’m just a lowly demon.”</p><p>Yuu stopped moving and snapped his gaze up to look at him. “What did you just say?” He asked as if he hadn’t heard.</p><p>“I said that I’m a demon. And you’re an angel, right?” Mika asked, snapping his fingers. Small navy-blue horns appeared on his head.</p><p>“Oh,” Yuu’s eyes widened. “Wow. Can I touch them?”</p><p>Mika scrunched his face in confusion. “What? I didn’t expect you to be so calm about this. I guess you can.”</p><p>Yuu lightly poked one of the horns. “Do you want to see my wings?” He asked shyly.</p><p>“Yes. Very much so,” Mika admitted, nodding his head.</p><p>After a moment of focusing, Yuu slowly took off his shirt and allowed his wings to reappear. Mika starred at them for a few moments in wonder before tentatively reaching out a hand to stroke the raven feathers. This sent a shiver running up Yuu’s back and he bit his lip.</p><p>“So soft,” Mika exclaimed. The feathers he’d touched were temporarily painted gold before fading back to black. He knew this was due to the interaction between their different true forms. For a moment, he longed to touch more of Yuu to see the marks left on his skin. He shook the thought away. If there was anyone he wasn’t allowed to try and seduce, it was an angel.</p><p>Yuu tried to keep his blush under control until Mika stopped touching him. He watched the demon curiously, because he was exactly who Yuu was supposed to hate. Somehow, he even seemed likable. Yuu found himself growing fond of him even in their short time interacting. He didn’t want him to leave, because maybe he even understood how Yuu felt about being immortal.</p><p>“So how did you become a demon?” Yuu asked.</p><p>Mika rested his hands in his lap to keep from petting Yuu’s wings more. “It’s actually a really dumb reason. I was failing classes and sold my soul to graduate. Then, I suffered an untimely death and they decided I should be a demon. What about you? Was being an angel your goal in life?”</p><p>“Hell no,” Yuu stated. “They took me up there against my will and turned me, all because some guy they’ve never seen before told them to. Some prophecy mentioned me or something,” he grumbled.</p><p>Hearing Yuu’s short explanation, Mika laughed. “Isn’t it good to be open with someone about this?” He asked.</p><p>Yuu nodded slowly. “Mika, do you need sleep?” He asked.</p><p>“No, why?”</p><p>“I don’t either. I miss it, though,” Yuu confessed.</p><p>“I sure don’t miss being tired all the time, though.”</p><p>“Have you ever met another immortal on the surface?”</p><p>Mika shook his head. “Only you.”</p><p>“Same here. And we’re supposed to hate each other. I don’t get it.”</p><p>“You don’t think you could hate me?” Mika asked.</p><p>“No way. I could tell by how much you struggled to insult me that you’re actually nice. I know you have a good heart, even though you no longer have a soul. Plus, you don’t have to be good or evil, you can be whatever you want to be.”</p><p>“True. I guess you did beat a guy up tonight even though you’re supposed to be good and pure. I don’t hate you. In fact, I think I’m starting to like you. I don’t think I’ve truly liked anyone since I was turned.”</p><p>“I think I understand. Have you felt distanced from everyone, including the other demons?” Yuu asked softly.</p><p>In response, Mika nodded and looked down at his hands with a sigh.</p><p>“Well, where do you live? I could walk you home to return the favor.”</p><p>“I don’t have a house here. I just got evicted from an apartment last week, so I’ve been wandering the streets. If I needed sleep, I’d be screwed by now,” he chuckled nervously.</p><p>“Do you want to hang out here with me for a while longer? Or do you need to fill a quota for your job?” Yuu asked.</p><p>“I probably need to do something for my job,” Mika muttered. “But I don’t feel like it.”</p><p>“Is there any way I can help?”</p><p>At first, Mika laughed. Then, he realized something. “Well, maybe. If I ‘convinced’ you to do sinful things I’d probably complete my job very quickly.”</p><p>Yuu stared at him, trying to think of what would be sinful without his mind dipping into the gutter. “Like what?”</p><p>“You could gorge yourself on food, I could try to make you envious somehow…you know, deadly sins type things,” Mika faltered, trying to avoid the other obvious answer.</p><p>“Oh,” Yuu replied, sounding surprised.</p><p>“What did you think I was going to say?”</p><p>“Nothing!” Yuu was blushing.</p><p>“Were you thinking you wanted something more in life than a chaste kiss on the cheek?” Mika asked in a low seductive purr.</p><p>“That would be divine,” Yuu said with a joking swoon onto the couch. He looked up at Mika, wondering if he would seriously want that. “But really, I’m kind of curious.”</p><p>“I can kiss you very sinfully,” Mika offered.</p><p>“But would you want that?” Yuu asked.</p><p>Mika looked down and observed the angel lying there with his wings spread out and cascading off of the couch. He looked like the subject of a painting: too handsome to be anything but surreal. It would only be a kiss. It wasn’t like he was going to fall for this angel, or make him fall for a demon, of all creatures. “It’s not that big of a deal, only a kiss,” he tried to say, but his voice wavered.</p><p>Yuu sat up and faced him. He rested his hands on Mika’s shoulders and blushed at how close their faces were. It was unfair that he hadn’t been able to experience even this before or after being turned. In response, Mika gently placed his hands on Yuu’s sides. After a moment of hesitation, he made eye contact before shutting his eyes and leaning in. When their lips met, they both felt a sensation like the sun warming their skin and desired more.</p><p>Although Yuu had never even had a peck on the lips before, he was soon French kissing a demon. If anyone had asked him if he expected this would happen, he would be taken aback with shock. But Mika was an amazing kisser, and Yuu never wanted it to end. When he finally opened his eyes because Mika had pulled away, he found himself straddling him on the couch. He couldn’t even remember moving onto his lap, as if his brain had blacked out during the kiss.</p><p>Mika quietly looked at Yuu’s gorgeous face, lips now painted lightly gold, with more than a hint of fascination. He felt feathers brush against his hands when Yuu’s wings settled into a downward position, relaxed and resting on the ground. Yuu also felt the contact and blushed deeply. He tucked his face into Mika’s neck to hide.</p><p>“How was your first kiss?” Mika asked quietly, sounding like he truly cared.</p><p>“So good, I’d say it was demonic,” Yuu whispered. He didn’t want to let go of Mika for some reason, so he just stayed there with him.</p><p>With a chuckle, Mika gently placed a kiss on Yuu’s head. “There’s more where that came from, if you ever want it.”</p><p>He felt Yuu tense up for a moment before relaxing again. Then, he sat back to look at Mika. “What if we dated or something?”</p><p>“Was it really <em>that </em>good?” Mika asked.</p><p>Yuu nodded.</p><p>“Damn, I didn’t think I’d tempt an angel,” he muttered. Really, his mind was a mess of contradicting thoughts. He wanted to try so many things with this angel, but at the same time, was it really worth the possibility of being punished? And what about Yuu? Would he become a fallen angel? Did that even happen in real life? Mika didn’t know. “We can try it.” He found himself saying before fully deciding on anything.</p><p>“Thank you,” Yuu said.</p><p>“Huh? For what?”</p><p>“For making me feel better.” Yuu smiled at him.</p><p>“Oh, you’re welcome.”</p><p>“So, now what?”</p><p>“Hmm, I don’t know. Do you want to cuddle?” Mika was still too uncertain to offer anything more lustful at the time. Plus, if Yuu was serious about dating, Mika had a feeling they should take it kind of slow.</p><p>“Sure.” Yuu stood up and took Mika’s hand in his to lead him to his bed. They faced each other with their foreheads pressed together and their arms around each other peacefully, and it was the closest to sleep Yuu had gotten in a long time.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Just imagine a whole group of angels seeing what's happening between Yuu and Mika and being completely appalled and disgusted but not being able to do anything about it. I imagine a few of them fainted when they kissed.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Day 15 - Radiant</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mika loses his job as a journalist and desperately needs money, so he signs up for human testing. The scientists are testing a new form of radioactive energy to see if it has any effects on humans. Everything is going well, and he's making a good amount of money, until the machine messes up, shooting a high level of radiation directly into his body. However, instead of dissipating, it stays in his system. Strange things begin to happen that steadily ruin his life. Then, when he's certain he'll never be able to normally interact with another human being again, he runs into a boy named Yuu at a grocery store, and both are surprised by their interaction.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It wasn’t his fault he needed money for food, shelter, and supplies. It wasn’t his fault this was the easiest way to make money. It wasn’t his fault human testing was such a taboo. It wasn’t his fault things went so wrong.</p><p>Everything went downhill when Mika lost his job as a journalist. He scrambled for money to support himself while trying to finish his novel, because he had an inkling that the inspiration he felt at that time of his life would never return if he spurned it in his unfortunate circumstances. While he searched desperately for enough money to pay off his utilities and mortgage, he turned down low paying jobs and the type of thing where you worked your way up to the top. That left selling his body, either to science or lust. He chose the former, because he didn’t think he’d be talented enough to actually be desirable, and he could pretend he was actually doing something for the good of others when he visited the lab.</p><p>After only two simple tests that barely had an effect, Mika had enough money to pull himself out of debt and buy a new notebook. He wrote furiously in his free time as the ideas demanded to be expressed before they could vanish into forgetfulness. They had only wanted to expose small expanses of his skin to some new form of radiation therapy to make sure it didn’t have any adverse effects. At first, it just made him mildly tired and jittery.</p><p>Then, during his fifth test, the machine shorted out, sending an excessive amount of the radiation directly into his body. Somehow instead of dissipating from his body after that, it was housed within his cells. The scientists were shocked and apprehensive. Mika muttered that he wanted to go home to rest, and they gave him triple his pay and told him to return as soon as he could so they could make sure he was fine. He could tell they were worried he would sue them or tell the cops, but the incident hadn’t been that big of a deal.</p><p>But boy was Mika wrong about that. At first, all he noticed was a faint sweet scent that emanated from his skin. It reminded him of a specific type of flower from his childhood. Next, animals started to just walk up to him out of nowhere and happily stay by his side. Then, he woke up one day to find his skin was practically glowing. He felt like some kind of superhero or mythological god when he saw himself in his mirror. The scientists were happily surprised that he had positive reactions, but their machinery had completely been destroyed. After giving him a hefty amount of money, they shut down their operations to rebuild everything.</p><p>Animals were the only ones attracted to Mika after the accident. People constantly seemed to follow him and beg to do unspeakable things with him. He bought a new bolt for his door and extra bars for his windows after a few people went overboard and broke into his house. In public, he was always on high alert and started carrying a taser with him everywhere. Perhaps things weren’t as good as he initially assumed they were.</p><p>At the store one time, Mika was being exceptionally paranoid when he almost slammed into a boy turning into the aisle. He glared at Mika with vibrant emerald eyes.</p><p>“Watch where you’re going!” He shouted.</p><p>Mika was shocked. It was the first time he hadn’t made a stranger swoon just by looking at them. It was refreshing. “Sorry, I’m probably being followed.”</p><p>“Why would people be following you?” He replied, although he sounded a touch concerned under his insulting tone.</p><p>“I have a weird problem that’s hard to explain,” Mika muttered, gripping his cart.</p><p>The other raised his black eyebrows. “Do you have a stalker?” He whispered.</p><p>“Not exactly. It’s more complicated than that,” Mika replied.</p><p>“This might sound too straightforward, but I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone with this <em>problem</em>. Can I drive you home? I’m Yuu,” he said, holding out his hand.</p><p>“Mika, nice to meet you,” Mika said, shaking his hand. “I suppose you can drive me, if it’d make you feel better. It won’t help too much, but at least I won’t be so paranoid for the moment.”</p><p>Yuu smiled. He hadn’t interacted like this with anyone in a long time. His aggressive air completely evaporated. “So, what do you like to do in your free time?” He asked, walking alongside Mika while he shopped.</p><p>Amazingly, Yuu being there kept people away. “Oh, I really like to write. I’m close to finishing a novel,” Mika responded, grabbing some canned spaghetti.</p><p>“That’s really cool,” Yuu said. “I like baking.”</p><p>“Really? What’s your favorite thing to make?”</p><p>“Apple crumble, which is really easy. And devil’s food cake.”</p><p>Mika quietly grabbed some more groceries, deciding to get some baking supplies. Baking did sound fun, especially because it wouldn’t require him leaving his house. “Would you want to bake with me this evening?” He asked. Since Yuu had already been so blunt about how much he cared, Mika wanted to repay him somehow.</p><p>“Sure, I’d love to.”</p><p>They soon finished shopping and went to the checkout line together. Mika was surprised when the checkout person didn’t start drooling and begging for his number. Yuu also seemed shocked by the normal interactions they received, although Mika didn’t pay it too much mind. He was soon sitting in Yuu’s car. It was a muscle car from the 70s that appeared to have been pieced back together.</p><p>“Did you fix this car up?” Mika asked.</p><p>“Yeah, I figured it out on my own. Had to do something for transportation, you know? And I made it better for the environment. It’s electric now,” Yuu explained while pulling out of the parking lot. “So, where do you live?”</p><p>It was the first time Mika didn’t mind someone knowing his address, so he thoroughly explained the directions to his house and his address number. Yuu happily drove him there and helped unload his groceries. Inside, he noticed the extra security measures on Mika’s house. After putting everything away and beginning to prep for baking, he decided to cautiously ask about his situation.</p><p>“Could you please explain why you thought someone might be following you?” Yuu asked, whisking the ingredients while Mika prepared toppings and frosting.</p><p>“Promise you won’t laugh?” Mika asked, looking over at him.</p><p>“Trust me, I’ll believe anything,” Yuu said with a laugh.</p><p>“I signed up to do human testing for money and the test went wrong and now I have superpowers, but they don’t work to my advantage and instead people just seem obsessed with me and won’t leave me alone, no matter where I go,” Mika said in one long rush, setting down the bowl.</p><p>Yuu blinked at him a few times, letting it sink it. “Wow…no way,” he muttered. “What lab did you get tested on in?”</p><p>“Uh, I can’t tell you,” Mika said, realizing he might’ve said too much already.</p><p>“Was it Bathory Industries?” Yuu asked.</p><p>Mika’s reaction told him all he needed to know.</p><p>“Damn, I thought they were shut down for good after what they did to me,” Yuu whispered.</p><p>“Huh?” Mika hadn’t quite heard him.</p><p>“I had a similar experience from the same place, and I’ve suffered the opposite side effect. People have been repulsed by me on sight for <em>years</em>. Everyone always gives me nasty looks, insults, or avoids me. Every interaction has been a negative one, or sometimes I’ll go weeks where no one even wants to look at me,” Yuu said. Tears threatened to spill out of his eyes. “It’s been so lonely, and no matter how nice I am they don’t stop. For some reason, you actually treated me like a normal person. That’s why I wanted to go with you and make sure you were okay. I didn’t want to lose the only person I had actually been able to talk to since the accident.” He started to cry a little.</p><p>On impulse, Mika pulled him into a hug. It was the first time he’d trusted someone enough to engage in physical contact in months, and it was reassuring when Yuu didn’t show any signs of lust. Like he had said, their interactions were normal, and it seemed that other people treated them normal when they were together, too. Yuu buried his face into Mika’s shoulder and sobbed. Mika found himself crying some as well, letting a few tears stray down his cheeks. He couldn’t begin to express how happy he was to find Yuu.</p><p>“Oh, we should probably finish mixing so we can put the cake in the oven,” Yuu finally said with a halfhearted chuckle.</p><p>Mika slowly released him and went back to mixing. “You know, beyond us canceling each other out and being able to talk like normal people, I think you’ll make a really great friend.” He wanted to add that he’d also want to maybe be more than that, but they had only just met.</p><p>Yuu finished his job and poured the batter. “Mika, actually, don’t take this the wrong way, but would you want to try a simple date with me? I understand if you’re scared I’ll be hypnotized by your radiant allure, but I can assure you I won’t try to do anything besides maybe hold your hand.”</p><p>“That’d be wonderful,” he said warmly.</p><p>They waited for the cake to be ready and talked merrily for about an hour, getting along really well. Then, they enjoyed their cake together. They exchanged phone numbers, Yuu promised he’d text about details surrounding their date, and then he drove himself home. That night, he couldn’t sleep for the amount of times the evening replayed in his mind. Mika was such a great guy, and Yuu vowed to protect him.</p><p>Unfortunately, after spending time with Mika, the hatred everyone else showed Yuu was more obvious and biting than it had been. He had almost grown numb to it before, but contrasted to how they could treat him, he was more upset with each interaction he faced. Soon, he couldn’t take any more and became a recluse. He spent several days locked in his house with nothing to occupy himself but baking and texting Mika.</p><p>Mika realized something was wrong and decided to visit Yuu at home. He asked where he lived over text and said he had a surprise for him. Yuu responded with an address, although he wasn’t sure what Mika would think seeing him so low. Nonetheless, he got dressed and made some cinnamon rolls. When Mika arrived, he noticed the bags under Yuu’s eyes and the tear stains on his cheeks and didn’t question it. He hugged him for a long time, whispering encouragements and compliments in his ear. This cheered Yuu up some, and he offered cinnamon rolls that Mika loved.</p><p>“Let’s go on our date tonight,” Mika said softly after finishing a roll.</p><p>“But I look like a mess.”</p><p>“I don’t mind. You’re still the same person whether you look torn apart or well groomed.”</p><p>“Where would we go?”</p><p>“I was thinking this one waterfall outside of town. There’s supposedly a cave behind it, if you’re willing to get a little wet,” Mika said.</p><p>“That would be wonderful,” Yuu admitted, especially because it was far from civilization.</p><p>By moonlight, they took Yuu’s car up into the mountains, parked, and walked the short distance to the waterfall. They jumped through the mist, hand in hand, to find that there was a large cave behind the water. Inside, they watched the moonlight paint the running water silver and play on the shadowy ground and each other’s faces.</p><p>“You’re so beautiful,” Yuu said quietly, seeing Mika’s skin glow faintly as well in the darkness.</p><p>“Thank you, but I think you’re more attractive by a mile,” Mika said earnestly.</p><p>Mika sat on a rock and let Yuu curl up with his head rested on his lap. He calmly played with his soft black hair, wondering what could be powerful enough to force people to hate such a kind and handsome person. At least it guaranteed he’d have Yuu to himself and never feel jealous, but he wished he could have some friends to hang out with when they weren’t together.</p><p>“Do you think we might be able to control our powers if we figured them out?” Mika asked, glancing down at Yuu.</p><p>“I tried once before, but maybe we can try again now that we know it can be canceled out,” Yuu replied, turning to look up at him.</p><p>“I want to, for your sake. You don’t deserve to suffer.”</p><p>“Well I want to also, but for your safety. I don’t want to think about you being alone with people trying to get to you constantly.”</p><p>“Then, let’s make a deal. We’ll both try our hardest to figure it out.” Mika held out his pinky.</p><p>“Deal.” Yuu circled his pinky and they touched their thumbs together to lock the deal.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oh goodness. I woke up today to find that my succulent named Mika was dying and almost cried, but it turns out you can completely cut the head off of a succulent and replant it later! I'm witnessing Mika being turned into a vampire in real life, guys. Meanwhile, my other plant, Yuu, is doing fine and doesn't even know what happened.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Day 16 - Guilt</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yuu has been married for five years to a girl who is his friend but that he doesn't love. She has loved him since middle school. When she asked him to marry her, he accepted for fear of hurting her, although he hadn't ever even dated someone before. They spent the five years of their marriage exchanging small meaningless kisses and sad smiles. Yuu doesn't know why he can't just love her and make them both happy. The only happiness he finds is by visiting the theater by himself and watching an actor named Mikaela Hyakuya. It isn't until he watches a play called Angels in America that he realizes why his life isn't working out. He blames himself for hurting his wife and not figuring out who he was sooner. She blames herself for keeping him in their marriage for so long although she has known for a while what he couldn't even admit to himself.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Going to see a play usually wasn’t considered that much of a big deal. For Yuu, it was his world. Or, more importantly, it was the world he escaped to. The real world, by contrast, was something he would happily abandon and never look back. He never admitted it, but he had never loved his wife. She had loved him since fifth grade and asked him to marry her. As if waiting for the perfect opportunity, Yuu had never even dated before, and hesitantly accepted because she had seemed so fragile and hopeful and they were already friends. In his reality, away from the theater, he had a wife who always gave him sad smiles and patience when he didn’t want anything to do with her in that way. He was sure she was upset that they still didn’t have a child after five years of being married, but he couldn’t help it. When she always wanted those things, he couldn’t bring himself to even look at her. The worst part was he didn’t even know why. He <em>wanted </em>her to be happy and to give her a family, but something stopped him from even enjoying the little pecks he gave her on the lips.</p><p>In the bathroom of the theater, Yuu looked at himself in the mirror. He was twenty-five, and his life wasn’t the one he wanted. There wasn’t much time or much he could do, but he wanted something to happen. Guilt rose in his stomach at the thought, because he knew he should’ve been content with his life. He had a decent job and someone to look out for him. What more could he want? He adjusted his hair some with his wetted hands, making himself look his best for some unknown reason. It just felt like the right thing to do in the quiet space that would contain the play. The sphere seemed to demand reverence and respect in return for taking his mind off of his worries.</p><p>Yuu took his seat in the front row, ready to fully immerse himself. As always, the prized actor stepped onto the stage to play a leading role. Mikaela Hyakuya was one of those talents that wasn’t very recognized and made Yuu feel torn between wanting to share him with the world, shouting his name from the rooftops as the most amazing actor to ever live, and wanting to keep him a secret so he could continue to enjoy his performances in a cozily half-empty theater in his hometown. When the actor noticed Yuu in the front row, he always seemed cheerier and gave more heart with the delivery of his lines. Although he wasn’t famous by other people’s standards, Yuu wanted his autograph more than anything. Just the thought of talking to him made him blush like a young fangirl. Would his voice be smooth and soft like it was when he played Romeo, or determined and powerful like when he played Robin Hood? Or maybe something new altogether. Before the show started, Yuu thought about it and clutched his program tightly between his fingers. He leaned forward in his seat, hoping to catch the first glimpse of blonde hair and glinting blue eyes that stood out so much from the theater makeup.</p><p>The curtain slowly rose to reveal Mikaela. Yuu knew it was going to be the first part of the play Angels in America with Mikaela playing Prior, but he hadn’t looked up the play ahead of time or read the pamphlet. It only took a short while for Yuu to realize that the play was very gay, and Mikaela was playing a gay man who was infected by AIDS. His acting was just as amazing as always, but something about seeing him playing that role made Yuu feel weird about the play. He knew he wasn’t homophobic, so why was it making him squirm in his chair. About halfway through, watching the character named Joe struggle with his sexuality and his wife, something dawned on Yuu that made his heart drop. <em>Oh shit, I think I’m gay.</em></p><p>For the first time, Yuu practically fled out of the room to take refuge in the bathroom. He locked himself in one of the stalls and wrapped his arms around himself to keep from shivering with shock. Leaning against the stall door, he tried to figure out what it would mean for his future. He’d have to tell his wife, and he wasn’t looking forward to her reaction. Would they get a divorce? Was there even a chance he’d find love after coming out so late? He held his head and tried not to cry out in frustration. Why couldn’t he have just figured himself out sooner to save all the pain and trouble? It wasn’t fair that some people were so confident in themselves and lived the lives they wanted to live. That they got to be happy without even trying. Before he knew it, he was crying. It was his fault she would get hurt, because he’d been too weak and clueless to say no when she asked to get married. He’d been too naïve to believe she would never be truly happy with him. And worst of all, he’d been too oblivious to notice his own feelings. He sobbed quietly, feeling helpless and trapped, at a loss for how to fix the situation. It wasn’t like he could force himself to be happy, he’d already tried so hard.</p><p>Over forty minutes passed with Yuu hunched over in the darkest stall of the bathroom. He watched the tears drip on the floor, in a daze while his thoughts battled in his mind for dominance. He knew he’d have to make a decision before returning home, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to live with himself for making her suffer for longer. The door to the bathroom opened, and he was hardly even aware of the sound. He sobbed again and raised his head to lean it against the door and stare at the ceiling.</p><p>“Excuse me, are you alright in there?” A voice asked. It was Romeo soft and compassionate and somehow even more genuine.</p><p>Yuu froze as if the actor could see him. Then, he realized he had asked him a question. This wasn’t exactly how he’d imagine their first conversation to go. “Uh, probably not, but you don’t have to worry about me,” he said quickly, feeling embarrassed.</p><p>“That’s worrisome in itself,” Mikaela answered, standing on the other side of the stall. “You’re the fellow who always sits in the front row, right?” He asked quietly.</p><p>Nodding for a few seconds before realizing he couldn’t see the gesture, Yuu choked out, “Y-yes. I’m sorry.”</p><p>“For what? You’re our biggest customer. Everyone in the crew is intrigued by you. There are quite a few legends about who you are,” Mikaela said with a chuckle.</p><p>“For staring at you like I do. I have a wife…” Yuu said. Once he said it out loud, he wondered if it even made sense to the actor.</p><p>“Hidden sexuality is very difficult. Don’t beat yourself up over it,” Mikaela said. “Does your wife know?”</p><p>“No,” Yuu sighed. “I just figured it out,” he admitted.</p><p>Mikaela laughed before he could stop himself. “I don’t even know you and I could’ve told you. I’m sure she at least knows something, even if you didn’t. Will you open up now?”</p><p>Yuu felt himself blushing. So Mikaela had noticed him and read him that easily just from seeing him at a distance. He wondered if he was really that obvious to others. Holding his breath, he slowly unlocked the door and opened it. There he was, still in his theater makeup and standing a few inches taller than Yuu. It took his breath away, and he felt guilty for that too. He shouldn’t just openly gawk at the actor to his face.</p><p>“See, I’m not all that great up close,” Mikaela said, opening his arms.</p><p>For a few seconds, Yuu couldn’t get a grasp on his mind. He couldn’t formulate any words and almost started drooling from gawking so much. “That’s a lie,” he finally managed. “You’re even better up close.”</p><p>“Wow, you’ve got it really bad,” Mikaela muttered, letting his arms drop to his sides and looking at Yuu. “You’d be really cute if you weren’t crying. What would make you feel better?” He asked.</p><p>“I need to know,” Yuu started, looking up into those gorgeous eyes that seemed otherworldly. “Are you attracted to men?”</p><p>Mikaela laughed so hard he had to prop himself up on the wall to keep from falling. “You’re a real charmer. I bet you’ll get all the guys with that pickup line. I can just imagine you walking into a gay bar and asking someone that.”</p><p>“Well, are you?”</p><p>“What do you think?” Mikaela asked, amused.</p><p>Yuu inspected him for a few seconds, suddenly second guessing everything that had seemed to scream homosexuality to him before. “Y-yes?” He offered hesitantly.</p><p>“Good, you aren’t as oblivious as I thought.” Mikaela ruffled his hair.</p><p>While Yuu normally would’ve protested to anyone messing up his hair, the way Mikaela did it made him want to press his head into his palm like a cat. He resisted the urge, remembering shamefully that he was a married man. Instead, he stared at the actor, unsure what to do with himself. Mikaela returned his gaze and actually openly checked him out, glancing over his entire body as if considering something.</p><p>“Do you want support when you tell your wife?” He finally asked. “In case she kicks you out or something.”</p><p>Yuu nodded.</p><p>“Okay, in return, I’d like to ask a favor of you,” he said with a smile playing on his lips.</p><p>“What is it?” Yuu asked, blinking at him.</p><p>“Once you figure things out with her, I want you to kiss me,” Mikaela said.</p><p>“Wh-what??” Yuu immediately blushed at the thought.</p><p>“Does that sound good to you?” He asked, ignoring the other’s flustered state.</p><p>“Yes,” Yuu breathed.</p><p>“Oh, and also, I’m Mika,” he held out his hand to shake.</p><p>“Yuu,” he placed his hand in the actor’s, the contact sending a series of shockwaves through his veins.</p><p>The sensitivity Yuu felt worsened when Mika gently pressed his knuckles to his lips. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said quietly. “Now, just let me wash off this makeup and I’ll go with you to visit your wife.”</p><p>Yuu slowly stepped further out of the stall to wait for Mika. He hadn’t ever seen the actor without dramatic makeup on, and he was curious how he would look. Mika met his gaze in the mirror and smiled. Then, he used some makeup remover to wipe his face. After a few minutes, the makeup was gone, leaving Mika looking almost exactly the same except now Yuu could see that his lashes were blonde. Once he was completely done, he spun around to talk to Yuu again.</p><p>“Would it be alright if I rode home with you and then had you drop me off here afterwards?” He asked. “I don’t want to walk the street at night.”</p><p>“Of course, that should be fine,” Yuu said, surprised he didn’t even stutter or blush this time. He was growing comfortable with the actor’s presence.</p><p>“Are you ready?” Mika asked. He looked concerned.</p><p>Yuu hesitated. Then he nodded ever so slightly. Mika held his hand gently.</p><p>“You can do this,” he encouraged, leading Yuu out of the bathroom.</p><p>They got into Yuu’s small SUV, and he turned the music down in case Mika wanted to talk to him during the drive.</p><p>“Are you going to come inside with me?” Yuu asked, trying to figure out how it would all play out in his mind.</p><p>Mika thought about it for a few seconds. “Would you want me to?”</p><p>“I think so.”</p><p>“Then I will. If you freeze up or anything, I’ll help as much as I can,” he offered.</p><p>“Thank you.” Yuu’s hands were shaking on the steering wheel, but he tried to keep himself together during the drive home. Too soon, he was in the driveway. “I don’t know if I can do this,” he admitted. He rested his forehead on the steering wheel.</p><p>Mika gently placed a hand on his back. “You can do this. If you get it over with now, you won’t hurt her later.”</p><p>This seemed to make up Yuu’s mind, because he took a deep breath and got out of the car. Mika slowly followed him. He wasn’t sure it was the best idea for him to be there, but if Yuu wanted him to be, he would. It reminded him of his past, when he first came out and got kicked out by his parents. He wished something better for Yuu.</p><p>Yuu’s hands were so shaky that Mika had to unlock the door for him. Before opening it, he stopped Yuu and looked him in the eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll be here the whole time. If she really cares, she won’t hurt you,” he whispered.</p><p>With a small nod, Yuu pushed the door open and stepped inside. Mika followed him, almost feeling like an intruder. Yuu’s wife sat at the table, sipping tea by herself. She looked up when Yuu walked in and gave him that same sad smile he was accustomed to.</p><p>“Welcome home,” she said quietly. Then, she noticed Mika was there behind him. “Ah, that must be him.”</p><p>“Huh?” Yuu asked.</p><p>“The man you’re in love with,” she specified calmly. “I’m sure you visit him often, because you usually leave work and then come home a few hours later.”</p><p>Yuu’s eyes widened. “Uh, actually he’s an actor at the theater. I go watch him- the plays I mean. I really like theater,” he finished lamely.</p><p>Mika gently nudged Yuu from behind as if telling him to just say it.</p><p>“But I do like him a lot. That’s why I needed to tell you. I’m gay,” Yuu said, as if confessing to a crime. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you. I didn’t even know.”</p><p>“Yuu, it’s alright. I already knew. It was wrong of me to make you stay when neither of us have been happy,” she said.</p><p>“No, it’s not your fault,” Yuu insisted.</p><p>“It’s not yours either,” she promised.</p><p>Mika felt awkward standing there during such a conversation, but he tried to emanate strength for Yuu.</p><p>“I’m going to drive Mika back to the theater,” Yuu finally said, after being in a daze for a moment.</p><p>She nodded with a smile. “You don’t have to come back. I’ll start to figure out the paperwork for divorce so we can both be happier. But I’ll always be your friend.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Yuu said with a sigh of relief.</p><p>“Take care of him,” she told Mika. “He has a good heart, and if I find out you broke it, I’ll find you.”</p><p>“I will,” he said, already almost out the door. He hadn’t expected to be vaguely threatened.</p><p>In the car, there was a strange tension in the air. Mika took a few moments to realize it was anticipation. Yuu was probably looking forward to that kiss he’d promised, but Mika wanted him to wait a little longer.</p><p>“Now that you aren’t living with her anymore, do you want to stay with me?” Mika asked quietly. “At least, until you can find somewhere,” he added, hoping he didn’t sound too direct. He didn’t want Yuu to know how badly he’d wanted this day to come. He had felt so guilty for fantasizing about an absolute stranger, but the way Yuu always looked at him made him feel both invincible and weak all at once.</p><p>“Thanks, that’d be really helpful,” Yuu replied, keeping himself from adding that he’d really like that.</p><p>Yuu pulled into the theater parking lot and gripped the wheel tighter. <em>Is he going to do it now?</em> He wondered nervously. But Mika just started to open his door to get out.</p><p>“Follow me,” he said before getting in his Prius.</p><p>Yuu turned up the CD player in his car, hoping to drown out his nervousness. The longer it was until the kiss, the more terrified and excited he felt. He wondered how it would feel. Granted, he’d kissed his wife before, but that was never because he actually wanted it. This, he wanted so much. Every scene in every play where Mika had to pretend to kiss someone, Yuu had felt a pang of jealousy and curiosity. He wanted to be the one swept up by the blonde and whisked away from all of his problems. And, in a way, he already was. At last, Yuu parked in Mika’s driveway.</p><p>Mika had a nice, medium-sized house with a garden in the front yard. His nearest neighbor was over a hundred feet away. Yuu stared at the house for a while, reminding himself that he was going to live here. He was going to live in Mika’s house. The reality of the situation made him blush and duck his head as he followed Mika inside.</p><p>“Welcome to my house. Sorry it’s a bit messy,” Mika said, holding the front door open for Yuu.</p><p>“Thank you,” he said quietly. He looked around at the living space. Although it wasn’t luxury or anything, it felt like paradise to Yuu, simply because he was actually free.</p><p>“Please have a seat. Do you want some water?”</p><p>Yuu sat on the couch and noted that it was the perfect level of softness so that he sunk in but didn’t get swallowed alive. “Uh, sure. Thanks.”</p><p>Mika walked to the kitchen and filled up a glass. He calmed his nerves as he did so. <em>It’s just a kiss, Mika. </em>He reminded himself. After making his decision to do it, he walked back with the glass of water and handed it to Yuu, who took a quick sip before gently setting it on the coffee table on a coaster. Mika just stood there, hesitating, watching the bead of water that Yuu licked off of his lips. Then, he finally sat next to Yuu.</p><p>Slowly, in case Yuu changed his mind or pulled away, Mika slid his hand onto his cheek and met his eyes. Yuu seemed to understand and turned his body to make the angle better. They spent a moment just admiring each other up close. Mika raised up on his knees to reach Yuu easier and made sure his nose slid to the side of Yuu’s to avoid any accidental bumping. Then, after released a shaky breath, he raised his face to meet his lips. When they connected, both men felt a thrill shoot down their nerves and replace them with eagerness.</p><p>Yuu fit his lips into Mika’s as if that’s where they had always belonged and couldn’t help but be fascinated. He’d never known a kiss could be so magical and emotional and could last. This was nothing like the little pecks he’d experienced before, and he was so relieved it was more. It felt like he had been searching for this all along. Letting his body enjoy the moment, he wrapped his arms around Mika’s shoulders and involuntarily leaned back so they were practically horizontal on the couch. His back rested on the armrest, and he would’ve been uncomfortable if he was focused on that instead of the warm space between his lips and Mika’s. </p><p>When Yuu leaned back, pulling Mika on top of him, he didn’t hesitate to straddle one of his legs and kiss him deeper, steadying himself with his free hand on the armrest beside obsidian hair. Somehow, the kiss was even better than he had ever imagined, and he didn’t want it to end, oxygen be damned. However, it eventually had to before he passed out. He slowly separated from Yuu and gasped for air. His blue eyes flickered open to take in the sight beneath him. Yuu was breathing just as heavily, blushing deeply.</p><p>“I’m sorry, you probably didn’t want the kiss to be like…that,” Yuu muttered.</p><p>Mika tried not to look hurt when Yuu sounded guilty about what they’d just done. “Yuu, if you apologize to me one more time, I’m going to,” he couldn’t even think of a threat, he felt so lightheaded, “to kiss you even more intensely.” His eyes practically glowed.</p><p>Yuu caught his breath and his eyes widened. <em>Can kisses even be more intense?</em> He wondered, wanting to find out. “Sorry,” he whispered.</p><p>A smile played on Mika’s lips. “Is that permission?” He asked softly, pushing some of Yuu’s hair out of his face to properly see his green eyes. <em>They’re like precious gems.</em> He thought with awe.</p><p>Swallowing, Yuu nodded. He watched Mika adjust his position so he was completely straddling his hips. Then, Mika settled his forehead against Yuu’s for a moment to make sure he was ready. He slowly leaned in to press his lips to Yuu’s, and the sheer amount of pressure made Yuu’s eyes fly open with shock. He opened his lips a little to accommodate and interact with the other’s. The motion was somehow constant and ever so slight, and yet he didn’t have to tell his body to do it. Mika opened his eyes halfway to peek on Yuu before shutting his eyes again and licking at Yuu’s lips.</p><p>Yuu was startled to feel Mika lick him and opened his mouth to gasp, only to feel his mouth passionately invaded. He wasn’t sure how to react, so he met the other tongue with his. Their tongues swirled between their mouths, not quite in one or the other but moving between the two. Yuu let out a small noise and Mika retracted his tongue to continue kissing him with only his lips again. Their combined spit was slightly cold on their faces and made the kiss wetter than it had been before. Then, Mika pulled away and sat up. He slowly patted the spit off of his chin with his sleeve without making it look like he was wiping the kiss away. His eyes looked unfocused, as if in a trance.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Yuu asked, breathless.</p><p>“I’ve never felt a kiss quite like that,” Mika admitted. He blinked to focus his eyes and smiled down at Yuu.</p><p>“I’ve never kissed someone like that before,” Yuu replied.</p><p>“Did you like it?” Mika asked.</p><p>“Yes. I don’t think I’ll ever forget.” He pressed his hand to his tingling, mildly swollen lips.</p><p>“Much better than just watching me perform on stage, isn’t it?” Mika asked softly.</p><p>Yuu nodded so much he thought he’d get a neck cramp. Mika laughed. He got off of Yuu and gently lifted him off of the couch and into his lap to cuddle him to his chest.</p><p>“You don’t know how long I’ve waited to be with you like this,” Mika said, lightly tangling his hand in Yuu’s hair. “I don’t want you to ever feel ashamed of who you are and what you want to do with me.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, so the kissing scene in this chapter single-handedly made the rating become mature. I decided it'd be safer to make it mature and save anyone who wanted to stay innocent. I've been on the fine line between teen and mature for a while now, anyway.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Day 17 - Hanahaki</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Don't worry if you don't know what hanahaki is, I hadn't heard of it either somehow. When you have unrequited love, you cough up petals and flowers until it's either requited or you get them surgically removed. I used some symbolism for this one that I'd like to explain here. Green carnations were first used by Oscar Wilde to symbolize 'unnatural' things, but were also quickly adopted as a symbol for homosexuality. Pansies were adopted to symbolize homosexuality for men, due to the insult 'pansy' that has so long followed them. Pansies are also one of the only flowers that naturally can be truly blue in color. This was perfect for obvious reasons.</p><p>After spending time with his best friend, Mika starts to feel sick and has to go home. Yuu starts to realize that he wants to be more than friends with Mika. Both assume the other isn't head over heels for them. Somehow, they have to survive through an entire superhero movie with their unspoken feelings heavy in the air. Will they make it?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mika remembered the first time it happened to him. He had been spending some quality friend time with his best friend when he felt violently ill. Having to cut the friend date short, he stole into his bathroom and leaned over the sink, sure he would throw up or something. His arms shook and he glanced up to see his face was pale and his usual blue eyes took on a red hue. Then, the coughing began. He felt like he was choking and suffocating all at once, and particles danced at the edges of his vision, threatening to snuff out his consciousness.</p><p>There it was: the first petal drifted into the sink, followed by a long string of saliva. His eyes widened and he hacked harder, watching as petals were produced from his throat. Soon, an entire carnation dropped out of his mouth, miraculously uncrushed and vibrant green. Once the fit was over, he leaned in to drink out of the sink to clear his scratched and dry throat. He could only hope it wouldn’t be raspy in the morning. When he checked his phone, after erasing the floral taste from his mouth and pushing the flower and petals to the deepest depths of his bathroom trashcan, Mika had some texts from Yuu. His heart fluttered like a butterfly longing for the flower that had just left his body.</p><p>
  <strong>Mika!</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Are you okay?</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Please tell me you don’t have the flu</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Hey, I’m fine. It must’ve just been allergies</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Thank god, I don’t think I could handle getting sick rn</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>When do you want to hang out again? I had a lot of fun</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Whenever. I don’t work on Thursdays or Saturdays, and I have evenings off</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Awesome! I’ll see you Saturday?</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Sure</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Can we go to a movie? I really want to see the new Guardians of the Galaxy</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Sounds good (: </strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Mika was relieved when Yuu didn’t text him anymore after the plans were made. He feared what an extended conversation with the boy would do to him. This was a serious problem. It slowly dawned on him that watching a superhero movie and sitting right next to Yuu for over an hour and a half might be difficult, or even impossible. He bit his lip and sighed. Self-control was his strong suit usually, but this felt like any actual affliction would.</p><p>Yuu smiled at his phone, scrolling back through his conversation with Mika. His best friend was the actual best. He couldn’t wait to watch a movie with him, even if not in a romantic sense. When that thought surfaced, he allowed it to float there for a few minutes, as if testing it out to see how it felt. Maybe it’d be really wonderful if it was in fact a romantic date, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell him. And, what if he didn’t like him? His heart gripped in his chest at the thought of being rejected by those soft lips, those blue eyes turning cold and angry. He bit his lip. Then, he felt a burning in his lower throat that he didn’t understand.</p><p>He wasn’t too concerned at first, so he kept watching TV for a few minutes. Soon, he was leaning over the side of the couch coughing into his discarded bowl that had held popcorn. He really wasn’t looking forward to potentially vomiting popcorn, because that would <em>hurt</em>. He kept coughing violently, feeling lightheaded from hanging upside for so long. He was sure his face was completely red, maybe even reaching purple. Then, he spit into the bowl when something came up. He was so startled he sat up to distance himself from what he saw: a single, vibrant blue petal. There was no way he had convinced himself he had feelings <em>that </em>deep for Mika, right? It was only one petal, not like it was a full flower or anything.</p><p>Feeling disturbed, Yuu went back to watching his show, trying not to glance at the petal in the bowl or think about it or Mika. As long as he went about his day normally, it wouldn’t happen again. That night, before going to bed, he found his mind drifting back to Mika. He was so handsome and kind and perfect boyfriend material. Yuu silently whined. These weren’t the types of things people thought about their best friend. He walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth and take a shower. In the middle of the shower, Mika drifted back into his mind like a rogue storm cloud. Before he could stop it, he began to cough, holding the wall to keep his balance. For a moment, he watched as a perfect, bright blue pansy that had come out of his mouth floated on the water and fell down the drain. In shock, Yuu pretended that didn’t happen and continued his shower until the hot water ran out. He toweled himself off and slid into bed.</p><p>That night, which was Thursday, neither Mika nor Yuu was able to sleep soundly.</p><p> </p><p>Saturday morning came around, and both boys had already discreetly disposed of an entire bouquet worth of flowers in the days they’d been apart. They were aware that the disease was a source of ridicule for much of society. ‘Petal spitter’ was a common insult, and some freak shows even displayed Spitters for the public to gawk and laugh at. As long as their love was unrequited, they could continue to entertain people with their unusual suffering. Yuu had once found it mildly amusing, but he now knew that it was no laughing matter. The fits hurt really bad, and his throat felt raw.</p><p>Mika checked his face in the mirror. He looked awful, with bags under his eyes and sickly skin that was breaking into a light sweat. He debated calling the date—friend date—off, but then he remembered that the only cure was to convince Yuu to love him back. He didn’t have money for the surgery they recently started offering to fix the affliction. With a sigh, he spit out a stray green petal and rinsed his face off. He had managed to keep from spewing flowers at customers while on the clock, so that was a plus. Now he just had to survive the superhero movie. He hoped there wouldn’t be any romantic tension in the movie to trigger his fits. But then he cursed. It was Guardians of the Galaxy, of course there would be romantic tension. He sighed deeply.</p><p>Yuu met Mika outside of the theater, and he had to admit that the blonde looked as bad as he felt. He had to put an end to this. He hoped Mika would love him back so he could leave this behind. If he never saw another flower again, he would be happy. Mika quietly led him inside, because, unfortunately, he didn’t have a voice that day. They sat towards the middle of the theater, and not many other people were there. It wasn’t anywhere near opening week, so Mika assumed most people had already seen the movie.</p><p>About halfway through the movie, Mika felt it coming. He placed a hand on Yuu’s shoulder and pointed to the exit to let him know he was going to the bathroom. Yuu nodded in understanding.</p><p>“I’ll tell you what you miss,” he hissed.</p><p>Mika smiled before running out of the theater and into the bathroom. He locked himself in one of the two stalls in the small room and leaned over the toilet with his hands on his knees, coughing harshly. Nothing would even come out for a long while. He heard the door open and tried desperately to stifle his coughing. Someone stepped into the stall next to his and started coughing louder than he had been, causing his eyes to widen with concern. Then, he heard a mutter ‘damnit’ and recognized that voice. He froze in place, listening intently.</p><p>“Why the hell is this happening to me?” Yuu growled, punching the stall door.</p><p>Mika heard Yuu step out of the stall and start to wash his hands. He slowly got out of the stall and stood to his side. Yuu turned to dry his hands and saw Mika. They both took in the sight of the other blushing slightly and that set them off. Mika produced an unharmed green carnation that landed in his palms, and Yuu found a blue pansy resting on his chin when his mind cleared. Not minding the lingering spit, they felt the impulse to trade flowers. Mika gently placed the carnation behind Yuu’s ear, marveling at how perfectly it matched his eyes. Yuu rested his pansy on the top of Mika’s head, laughing softly at how cute it looked and how it brought out the blue in his eyes.</p><p>“Does this mean we’ll be cured?” Yuu asked hesitantly, looking up at Mika.</p><p>Smiling, Mika nodded. He wished more than anything that he could talk right then, but since he couldn’t, he let his actions speak for him. He embraced Yuu and lightly picked him up off the ground, tucking his face into his neck. Yuu hugged him back, giggling lightheartedly. When Mika finally set him down, Yuu smiled up at him.</p><p>“We missed almost the entire second half of the movie,” he said with a chuckle. It wasn’t like him to be so carefree when it came to missing superhero movies.</p><p>Mika took his hand and started to lead him back to the theater.</p><p>“Wait! Mika,” Yuu started. “Could this maybe count as our first date?” He asked.</p><p>Mika thought about it for a few moments, regretting that he hadn’t planned something super romantic. He nodded. There would be time for romantic gestures later, perhaps when his voice was back. They settled back into their seats for the last ten minutes of the movie, staying until the very end of the credits, just in case. After the movie was over, outside, both of them seemed reluctant to leave. Mika felt like he was loitering, but he wanted to keep listening to Yuu excitedly discussing his theories for the next movie forever. His eyes were so bright and joyful, and Mika never wanted to see them hurt. When Yuu was in mid-sentence, he lightly pressed his lips to his.</p><p>Yuu stared at Mika in shock when he pulled away with a pink flush on his cheeks. He completely forgot what he had been ranting about. His cheeks burned, and he was mesmerized by the small smile on Mika’s lips. He wanted to kiss him again. Their lips met a second time and lingered there for several minutes, and they could feel the sheer love and excitement for being alive in the kiss. No more spitting petals for them, because they were truly loved. It almost seemed silly how worried they had been about the possibility of rejection, and anyone could see from a mile away that they were meant to be the best of lovers, not of friends.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Why did Mika lose his voice, you may ask. Carnations are probably bigger than pansies, and they seem like they'd mess with your throat more. Also, he started coughing a little bit before Yuu and had to try and suppress it while at work. Poor guy.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Day 18 - Backstory</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yuu spends a long time making himself look nice for the other kids in the orphanage, although he claims he doesn't care. Then, he finds out that Mika ate his breakfast because he took too long to get ready.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the orphanage, although Yuu wanted to maintain his façade of not caring about anyone, he tried really hard to look good. For his first few weeks after finding himself in the new situation, he would wake up and rush to the bathroom to tame his black hair and wipe the sleep from his eyes. He adjusted his shirt and brushed his teeth, not even sure why he wanted to look nice. The others were just kids, just like himself. Somehow, though, he thought they would judge him if he didn’t present himself nicely. Not that he particularly cared what they thought of him. But he did, he could admit to himself at the latest hours of the nice while they slept soundly, and he stayed awake staring at the ceiling.</p><p>Yuu managed to completely comb down his hair except for a single stray strand in the front that wouldn’t cooperate. He happily marched into the dining room to get some food, only to find it was gone.</p><p>“Oh, I ate your portion because I thought you weren’t coming,” Mika said. He stared at Yuu for a few seconds after confessing. Then he laughed so hard that tears appeared in his eyes from the strain. He gasped for air. “Why are you dressed up like that? Most of us are still in our pajamas.”</p><p>Yuu inspected the room from his place in the doorway, feeling out of place more so than he had before. Mika was right: most of the kids were hardly even awake, and a few had brought pillows and blankets with them to the table to pass back out with food in their mouths. He blushed in embarrassment and ran out of the room. In the bathroom, his stomach growled and he groaned, messing his hair back up and purposely making his clothes a little disheveled. It managed to look unnatural anyway. He sighed and whined.</p><p>Someone knocked on the door. Yuu ruffled his hair again for good measure and opened the door to peer out.</p><p>“I didn’t actually eat your food,” Mika said with a hint of amusement in his voice. “It’s in the kitchen.” He messed with Yuu’s hair as if it wasn’t already everywhere. “You look better like this,” he added with a small smile. “More like yourself, like you aren’t trying too hard to get us to like you.”</p><p>“I don’t like you guys,” Yuu grumbled. “And I don’t care what you think of me.”</p><p>“Keep telling yourself that,” Mika chuckled. “We’re all family, so we’ll like you no matter what you look like.”</p><p>“Even if I showed up to breakfast in my underwear?” Yuu challenged with a small snicker. It was the most daring thing he could think to do. Plus, he usually slept in only his underwear anyway. Pajamas that fit him were hard to come by for some reason, maybe because Mika usually claimed all of them.</p><p>Mika pretended not to hear that comment and walked over to his bed to grab a children’s book that he’d been reading. Yuu grumbled something else and left the bathroom to get his food. <em>I look better with bedhead, huh?</em> Ever since then, he couldn’t manage to get his hair tame again, although he didn’t try often. It was almost as if his hair itself wanted to make Mika smile and laugh the way he had that day and live up to his almost compliment of ‘You look better like this’.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is really short and kind of silly, but I couldn't think of much for the prompt. I'm coming up with an idea that I might add as bonus at the very end if it doesn't work for any of the prompts.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Day 19 - Love Confessions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yuu is a clown, because Kimizuki decided he was too clumsy and idiotic to fit any other role int he circus. Mika is the most graceful act, flying through the air on the trapeze like a real life angel. They've known each other since they were little kids and have been the only constant in each other's lives. After a situation before their performance, Yuu fears that Mika might mess up for the first time.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yuu slowly painted his face to make it hold a cartoonish smile, red nose, and black diamonds around his green eyes. It was difficult to get into the mood to make people laugh when so much was on his mind. He hadn’t fit the job description for a clown very well, but here he was, wearing baggy floral clothing and makeup. Surprisingly, he was usually good at his job. Kimizuki had chosen the position for him because he said he was too much of an idiot to succeed anywhere else in his circus. Yuu tried to object, but he had caught himself on fire in that moment and relinquished himself to his new job.</p><p>It should’ve been difficult to mess up as the comic relief, but Yuu couldn’t calm down. Ever since the morning, his mind was racing with hypotheticals. He wondered if the same issue would screw with Mika’s act. The graceful trapeze artist was usually precise and steady in his performance, but after the events of that morning, Yuu doubted he would easily keep from being distracted or even anxious.</p><p>While he waited to stumble into the ring, Yuu thought back to that morning.</p><p>
  <em>“Yuu,” Mika said quietly, opening the curtain to his changing room.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Yuu had been writing in what he refused to call a diary and quickly hid it. “Oh, hey Mika.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Hey, can I talk to you?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Of course,” Yuu said, patting the stool near him. Mika usually didn’t ask permission to talk to him, so something serious must’ve been on his mind.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mika sat down, and Yuu noticed that his hands were shaking slightly. He met his eyes, worried he was ill or something. “I have to tell you something,” he said.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Well, yeah, I figured,” Yuu said softly with a small laugh. He decided not to mention how tense Mika seemed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’ve known you since we were eight,” Mika started, staring at his hands. “We ran away from home together, we pickpocketed together, we struggled to live, and then we found the circus together.” He looked over to meet Yuu’s eyes again. “And it took this long for me to figure out how you made me feel. Yuu, I think I’m in love with you,” he said in a whisper, as if it was too intense to say in a louder tone.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Oh,” Yuu replied, his eyes widening. Mika had always been there, but Yuu hadn’t thought of it much. He wasn’t quite sure why, but he had just had Mika there by his side and didn’t question it. He would always be a constant in his tumultuous life, so he hadn’t pondered the nature of their relationship, nor what it could become.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Hey, Mika! We need to practice the new act!” Shinoa called from somewhere else on the grounds.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mika sighed, and his eyebrows raised. “We’ll continue this conversation later,” he promised before slipping out of the tent.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Yuu wanted to punch himself for not saying something in response to Mika’s heartfelt confession. While he carefully applied his makeup and tried to mentally prepare, he ran through as many interactions with him as he could remember. He realized how often Mika made him flustered, smile, laugh, and feel comfortable. Every time they’d done something with just them, he felt safe and content with life, but there was an underlying longing he hadn’t picked up on before. As if he could’ve reached out and held Mika close without letting go. Maybe he loved him too.</p><p>When Kimizuki finished introducing himself and the performance, Yuu caught his que. He took a deep breath and reminded himself to tell Mika later and just focus on being absolutely ridiculous. In his full outfit, he tripped over his huge shoes as he walked, earning a few giggles. Then, he tapped the strong-man’s shoulder and put up his fists as if he wanted to fight. He was easily sent sliding across the ground where he purposefully fell over. He tried to get up and fell again. Then, once he was up, he realized his hat had fallen off. While trying to pick it up, he continuously kicked it just out of reach. The crowd started laughing a little harder.</p><p>Afterwards, Yuu did a few failed magic tricks and ‘injured’ himself until the audience was in an uproar at the hilarity. It wasn’t even the style of humor he would personally find funny, but apparently, they expected as much from him. If it had been up to him, he would’ve told dark jokes and done stand-up comedy. But no one wanted an intelligent clown, just slapstick and silliness with typical clothing and tricks. He left the ring with a sigh, but Mika found him on the way off and smiled at him.</p><p>“You did great,” he said reassuringly, wiping some dirt from Yuu’s cheek and making him blush under his makeup. Mika’s blue eyes held uncertainty that Yuu was sure was due to his lack of an answer. He couldn’t exactly spill his heart right there when Mika was supposed to be flying through the air. Instead, he smiled up at him.</p><p>“Not as great as you’re about to do,” Yuu said. This was something they did almost every show.</p><p>Mika smiled back, looking relieved that Yuu wasn’t treating him strangely. He climbed up a twenty-foot ladder in his skin-tight suit, and Yuu couldn’t help but stare. At that moment, they were complete opposites: Mika with his elegance and Yuu with his clumsiness, tight clothing versus overly loose, blonde or black hair. They were so different, and yet they were the only ones who understood what the other had been through. Hidden, Yuu watched Mika come as close as humanly possible to being an angel. He supported Shinoa easily, his upper arm muscles tensing. He dropped his bar to do a flip and land secured to her forearms before arching his feet over her feet to stand on the same bar she was hanging upside down from, careful to step where her legs weren’t clinging onto the bar. Then, he leaped to catch his own abandoned bar as it flew towards him.</p><p>The act was over a few minutes later without any accidents. Mika had been on the bar since he was fairly young, so Yuu was sure it would take a lot more than something on his mind to cause him to fall. When Mika walked over, he looked ecstatic. Yuu smiled at how bright his blue eyes were with joy.</p><p>“You were amazing,” Yuu said when Mika was by his side.</p><p>“Thanks,” Mika said. “I messed up a little.”</p><p>“I doubt anyone noticed but you.”</p><p>“Want to go for a walk until the rest of the performance is over?” Mika asked hopefully.</p><p>Yuu was pretty sure he meant ‘do you want to leave earshot so we can discuss the confession from earlier’, so he nodded. “Let’s go to the museum.”</p><p>The two slipped out of the tent and wandered the grounds until they made it to the ‘museum’, a collection of photographs to commemorate the freakshows of years past, along with old signs for the circus and reviews by famous people. They were just a scattering of display cases in an unmanned tent, so Yuu and Mika sometimes went there while waiting for the rest of the show to end.</p><p>They both tried to speak at the same time.</p><p>“So, about-”</p><p>“Sorry I-” Mika quickly cut himself off when he realized Yuu was talking.</p><p>“About what you said earlier,” Yuu tried again, suddenly feeling nervous. “I think maybe I love you too, I just hadn’t thought about it deeply before.” He looked up at Mika.</p><p>“Thank goodness,” Mika breathed.</p><p>Not expecting that reaction, Yuu raised an eyebrow. Then, Mika pulled a giftbox out from behind one of the displays. Yuu slowly opened it and gasped.</p><p>“I know how much you dislike being a clown, so I talked Kimizuki into letting you join my act. Shinoa said she’d be willing to be the clown so I can ‘take a romantic flight with my lover’,” he said with air quotes.</p><p>“But, I don’t know how to do trapeze!” Yuu squeaked.</p><p>“That’s why I’m going to teach you,” Mika said with a chuckle. “Lots of private lessons.”</p><p>Yuu was sure he was blushing again at the idea of being in skintight suits with Mika and it just being the two of them in the tent after dark.</p><p>“I can’t quite tell in that makeup, but I’m guessing your mind is currently in the gutter,” Mika mused, lightly smacking Yuu’s arm.</p><p>“Come on, you definitely hinted at <em>that</em>.”</p><p>To this, Mika only winked. “You should try your outfit on.”</p><p>“I’ll have to after we bow, because this getup is a bitch to put back on,” Yuu muttered. Really, he wasn’t sure if he could change so close to Mika without thinking even more inappropriate things.</p><p>“Good point. I want to make sure it fits right, so I’ll stop by your tent after the performance is over, okay?” Mika asked.</p><p><em>Damn, he’s determined. </em>“Okay. Just don’t walk in on me or something.”</p><p>“Why not? I’ve seen you naked before.”</p><p>“When we were little kids doesn’t count,” Yuu muttered.</p><p>“I’ll see you naked sometime anyway, what’s the difference?” Mika teased.</p><p>“Fine, just barge right in while I’m getting dressed.”</p><p>Laughing, Mika shook his head. “I’ll call through the flap before walking in. I respect that you don’t want me to see you like that yet. Just know that these outfits don’t leave much to the imagination anyway,” he added, motioning to his body and of course Yuu had to accidentally follow his gestures and catch a glimpse of pretty much everything.</p><p>“We should probably go back to the big tent,” Yuu said awkwardly.</p><p>“I’ll pretend you didn’t just check me out. Let’s go,” Mika said, still in a good mood.</p><p>They were back just in time for bowing. Yuu almost couldn’t put on his goofy act for the few minutes it was required of him. The audience cheered excitedly for everyone who had performed. Yuu hurried to his tent to change, wiping off his makeup first. When he was completely into his new outfit, he looked himself over in the mirror. Mika was right, the outfit was really tight and showed off every contour. It reminded him of a superhero outfit. His was black and green while Mika’s was blue and white-gold.</p><p>“Knock knock,” Mika said.</p><p>“Come in, perv,” Yuu responded.</p><p>“Thanks, bigger perv.” Mika ducked under the opening and saw Yuu. He gasped softly. “It looks great on you.”</p><p>Yuu turned around after Mika said that, glad he missed the moment Mika was staring at his body. He was sure he would’ve been a mess if he saw that. “Thank you.”</p><p>“And, I can actually take you seriously without that makeup.”</p><p>“Oh, do I have to confess to you again so you believe me,” Yuu asked.</p><p>“No, I believed that.” Mika gently traced his fingertips on Yuu’s cheek, causing him to pink slightly. “Could I kiss you?”</p><p>Yuu nodded slowly, meeting his gaze and finding a whole range of emotions he’d never seen there before: love, hope, eagerness, curiosity, relief, and a hint of lust and desire. He tilted his head some to give Mika a better angle, and their lips slowly made contact. Mika slid his hand around Yuu’s neck to play with his hair, and Yuu gripped his shoulders lightly.</p><p>“Hey, cherry boy, I need advice for the clown thing,” Shinoa said, walking right into the tent before stopping in her tracks.</p><p>Mika quickly pulled away from Yuu and hid his face under his bangs, shoving his hands behind his back awkwardly. Yuu almost laughed, because he’d never seen him so embarrassed or shy before.</p><p>“Sure, I can do that tomorrow. I have a private lesson tonight,” Yuu said.</p><p>“Ah, a ‘private lesson’, huh? Mika, you’re less innocent than I thought,” she said with a giggle. “Have fun, guys.” Shinoa walked away before Yuu could explain that it was probably actually going to be a lesson and not what she was thinking.</p><p>“She’s such a cockblocker,” Yuu muttered. “And yet she says she wants me to lose my virginity.”</p><p>“That was a good first kiss, though,” Mika said optimistically. “Do you really want your first lesson tonight?”</p><p>“Yeah, if that’s okay? I want to figure it out quickly so I can switch acts.”</p><p>“Aww, you really want to perform with me that badly?” Mika asked.</p><p>“That and I hate my current position.”</p><p>“Then let’s go see if the tent’s empty. I hope this works out.”</p><p> </p><p>Mika dragged the safety net from storage under the trapeze set. He didn’t want to admit he was a little concerned Yuu might be too clumsy, but he hoped his reflexes and steadiness would balance it out. Yuu started to climb the ladder with Mika following to make sure he didn’t fall. Then, at the top, Mika gave him advice and had him grip the bar.</p><p>“Ready?” He asked gently.</p><p>Yuu looked terrified. “Uh.” He squeezed his hands tighter until the knuckles were white.</p><p>Remembering his first leap and how nervous he’d been, Mika rolled his eyes. Distractions were a good way to get Yuu started. He lightly grabbed his chin and kissed him before pushing him off. Yuu actually screamed he was so startled, but he didn’t let go. It was a good start. Mika had cried and slipped from the bar his first time due to sweat. He wrapped his arms around Yuu’s waist when he came back and pulled him up to safety.</p><p>“You asshole.”</p><p>“What? You had to jump.”</p><p>“You could’ve warned me first,” Yuu said with a pout.</p><p>“But nothing even happened to you. You’re fine and back on the platform, see? If I had warned you, you wouldn’t have gone through with it.”</p><p>“I want a real kiss after this, not one with ulterior motives.”</p><p>Mika chuckled. “Okay, you’ll get at least one. Now, try to jump on your own.”</p><p>Yuu exhaled and stared ahead of him. He made sure his hands were firmly on the bar before leaving the platform. This time, instead of being scared, he felt a thrill of excitement in his veins. He could imagine doing this with Mika and letting him catch him from the other side and swing him to safety. He trusted Mika enough for that, because he knew he wouldn’t let him down. On the return swing, he managed to land on the platform with one leg before his upper body was pulled forward by the momentum. Mika quickly caught him and held him close. Yuu released the bar to wrap his arms around him with a smile.</p><p>“That wasn’t so bad,” he admitted.</p><p>Mika nuzzled into his neck. “Tomorrow, I’ll teach you a trick, if you think you’re ready.”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>They climbed down and worked together to move the net back into storage. Then, they snuck back to Yuu’s tent, hoping to avoid Shinoa and her teasing. Once there, they cuddled in his hammock bed.</p><p>“That was a really good first try,” Mika complimented.</p><p>“But I screamed the whole time.”</p><p>“I cried my first time and fell off.”</p><p>“No way.”</p><p>“Yeah, I was terrified of heights.”</p><p>Yuu was shocked. Mika had always looked so natural on the trapeze set. He hadn’t ever thought about how he had to start somewhere. While he was thinking, Mika placed his palm on the side of his face. His thoughts gradually faded into silence when he felt the warmth of his hand.</p><p>“I promised you a kiss with no strings attached,” Mika reminded him.</p><p>Mika leaned in until their foreheads were touching. Then, he gently started to kiss Yuu, smiling into the kiss when Yuu met him eagerly. This time, the kiss wasn’t interrupted by Shinoa. She did however sneak in with her phone and snap a picture for blackmail without the boys noticing.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Day 20 - First Kiss part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mika has been missing for months, leaving Yuu hardly caring for himself and failing his college courses. He often won't even leave his room. Shinoa, however, won't accept that Yuu has given up on all happiness, so she drags him to a party. He doesn't expect to enjoy it at all until a mysterious figure pulls him behind a garden archway and gives him a first kiss that'll haunt them both for months to come, for multiple reasons. I loosely based this fanfic on the plot of a French film called Hidden Kisses. Again, I'm splitting it up into a few chapters, because I have a lot going on and wanted to put out the beginning.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yuu didn’t want to go to a party. He had promised himself not to have fun while Mika was still out there somewhere at best, dead at worst. College wasn’t the same without his best friend, his crush, his reason for being happy. Mika. He was perfect, but his parents couldn’t see that. When he was kicked out, he couldn’t afford rent on top of his tuition, so he ran away. His phone bill was missed, because he didn’t have enough money, and Yuu hadn’t heard from him in months.</p><p>Shinoa forced Yuu to go to the party to lighten up. Midterm was coming soon, and he was on the verge of failing. He had lost all motivation to do schoolwork or interact with people the majority of the time and spent days in his dorm that he was grateful his father paid for. While he appeared to be staring at the ceiling at any given point in time, he was really looking into the past. His memories played vividly just beyond his vision, and he rewound them and wished he could go back. But now, he was locked in Shinoa’s car on the way to one of the biggest parties of the semester.</p><p>Having full intentions of either running away or locking himself in the closet, Yuu grumbled to himself the entire ride.</p><p>“C’mon! You’re going to have fun. You might even meet a girl,” Shinoa tried to cheer him up.</p><p>Yuu hadn’t told her he was completely gay yet, because he hadn’t told his father either. He wasn’t sure how anyone would react, or how they couldn’t tell already. He wasn’t extremely feminine, but he was sure he didn’t have the same posture and gait as a normal straight guy. Not that he tried or anything, he had just noticed at some point. He envied how brave Mika had been to come out to everyone, even his parents. He didn’t answer Shinoa.</p><p>“Or you could just hang out with the group. That’s always an option. Yoichi might be there. You guys got along pretty well last time,” she kept talking.</p><p>“Is the giant going to be there?” Yuu muttered.</p><p>“Of course, Kimizuki doesn’t like to miss parties unless there’s an emergency.”</p><p>Yuu groaned. <em>This just keeps getting better.</em> He folded his arms and slumped a little more in the passenger seat. Not to mention, he was probably going to have to be the designated driver and dealing with a drunk Shinoa wouldn’t be fun. He didn’t drink anyway, because Mika didn’t like alcohol, but being the only sober person at a party wasn’t his idea of a fun time. He would’ve even rather played truth or dare than that. Shinoa parked her car and threw the keys to him.</p><p>“For you, sober-cherry boy,” she said in a lighthearted tone.</p><p>Yuu debated refusing to leave the car but realized that Shinoa would probably need him later. Maybe more of his friends would need him too. Sometimes, he hated how self-sacrificing he could be, but it wasn’t like he could flip a switch and make it stop. They could need him, so he had to go. Even though most of them had been to tons of parties without his help. He slowly followed Shinoa, taking in how many cars were parked outside the building and down the street. Shinoa eventually backtracked, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him inside.</p><p>They found Mitsuba in the kitchen mixing drinks and looking overwhelmed.</p><p>“Yo, Mitsu, I need a screwdriver and a virgin drink for the virgin,” Shinoa said cheerily.</p><p>Mitsuba nodded at her hurriedly and started to mix the drinks. Her cheeks were slightly flushed either from intoxication or being flustered by how many people demanded drinks from her. When Shinoa took the drinks from her, she smiled at her.</p><p>“Also, I think you should take a break,” Shinoa added. “Come with me to find the squad.”</p><p>Looking relieved, Mitsuba just finished up the last few orders and let Shinoa whisk her away. Yuu inspected his drink. It looked like Hawaiian punch with Sprite. He guessed it was decent and sipped on it. Then, he noticed that Shinoa had left him behind in her rush to pull Mitsuba through the crowd. He could find her later. For now, it was too loud and smelly for his taste, so he wandered through the house, trying to find an empty space where he could think and possibly catch up with some of his memories. That’s how he ended up in the backyard garden.</p><p>While Yuu was drinking out of his cup thoughtfully, someone called him from behind an arch of sorts with an urgent psst! He decided to check it out cautiously, clutching his drink in one hand like a weapon. Once he was near the arch, a hand reached out and pulled him in by his shirt. In the dim light that filtered through the vines and flowers, he saw a tall figure with blue eyes.</p><p>“Yuu, it’s really you,” a familiar voice whispered, and the figure embraced him tightly.</p><p>Yuu hugged back once getting over his initial shock. “Mika, how are you here right now?” He asked quietly, trying not to cry.</p><p>“Shhh, I’m not supposed to be. Someone dragged me here and was keeping a watch on me, but he’s somewhere else in the party.” His eyes glimmered with an intriguing combination of hope and worry.</p><p>“Mika, does this mean I won’t see you again?” Yuu asked in a hushed whisper, feeling his heart start to break all over again.</p><p>“I don’t know. I want to come back, trust me. Heck, I’d stay in your dorm if he’d let me and continue studying with a full-time job or something.”</p><p>“He? Mika, is someone…hurting you?”</p><p>“I accidentally made a deal with a guy and now he has enough leverage to practically own me. I have to pretend to be his boyfriend most of the time.”</p><p>“How can he own you?”</p><p>“He knows a lot of people and said he could frame me for something to ruin my life if I didn’t listen to him,” Mika muttered.</p><p>“My dad’s a cop. I’m sure I could get him to investigate any allegations against you,” Yuu objected. “Mika, please come with me. I’ll be so worried about you if you leave again, because…you’re really important to me.” He couldn’t bring himself to actually express himself. “I look up to you. Even though I haven’t done anything yet, I feel like I’m closer to coming out because of what you did.”</p><p>Mika stared at him, speechless, for a few moments. “You’re gay?” He asked.</p><p>Yuu nodded and looked up at him, suddenly noticing how close they were. Mika seemed to notice too, because he grabbed Yuu’s chin lightly and kissed him fervently. Yuu kissed back, finding himself on his toes to get better reach and resting his hands on Mika’s shoulders for balance. They kissed as if to make up for all the years they hadn’t. Then, when Yuu felt invincible and wonderful, he heard a chilling noise: the shutter click of a phone camera. He quickly pushed away from Mika in a panic, hoping it was only Shinoa being the gremlin she sometimes was and taking pictures for tease fuel. He didn’t find anyone, however, which made him even more worried. If it got around to his father, he’d have a lot of explaining to do, and if it reached whoever Mika was in his bad situation with, his hopes and dreams could be on the line.</p><p>With adrenaline and fear racing through his veins, Yuu tore out of the garden in search of anyone suspicious. While he was searching for anyone who would for some reason still be on the phone that had taken the photo, he ran into Yoichi. He was busy typing away on a text message when he looked up to see Yuu.</p><p>“Did you see any suspicious people or Shinoa pass by?” Yuu asked, out of breath after tearing around in a circle scrutinizing everyone.</p><p>“No? Are you okay? You seem flustered or something,” Yoichi said, returning to his intense typing.</p><p>“I’m fine, I just need to find someone,” Yuu muttered, continuing on his way. Yoichi watched him go once he had his back turned. He hesitated for a moment, glancing between his phone and Yuu’s vanishing back in the crowd. Then, he tapped post.</p><p>Tired and frustrated, Yuu returned to where he’d left Mika. The blonde looked confused and mildly upset.</p><p>“Why’d you run off? Was it really that bad?” He asked softly.</p><p>“No, Mika, someone took a picture of us. I couldn’t figure out who it was, but I’m scared we might deal with blackmail or something,” Yuu panted frantically.</p><p>Mika’s eyes widened. “This is bad…” He debated running to find Lacus before anything happened, but then it could be his last time seeing Yuu ever. He didn’t want to just leave him like that. He looked torn.</p><p>“We’ll make it through this,” Yuu said reassuringly. “Just, remember that I’ll always be here for you, whatever happens. Even if you become a false criminal.” He gently held Mika’s hand, leaving a necklace in his possession as his way of promising they’d see each other again. It was a necklace his mother gave to him before she passed away, so Mika knew he wouldn’t just give it away.</p><p>“I hope so,” Mika said doubtfully.</p><p>“Mika, where are you?” A voice called from outside, sounding playful but with an underlying edge, like a knife hidden in a bucket of cotton candy.</p><p>“Goodbye, Yuu,” Mika said. He ducked under the arch and Yuu watched from the shadows as a man with blue hair in a ponytail loudly slapped Mika. It was such a hard impact that Mika fell to the ground before glaring up at him.</p><p>“Care to explain this, darling?” He asked, holding up his phone to show Mika a post he’d seen on Instagram.</p><p>“Uhm,” Mika stared at the picture, shocked at how fast that spread. Whoever had posted it couldn’t have had a clue how much it would affect his life.</p><p>Yuu stepped out of hiding to smack the phone out of his hand. “Don’t you dare touch Mika,” he growled.</p><p>“Ah, if it isn’t Mika’s partner in crime,” he said with a dangerous glint in his eyes. “You don’t want to mess with me, shrimp.” He laughed.</p><p>“Mika didn’t do anything wrong, and you know it. You’re the one in the wrong, threatening him like you did,” Yuu said, making himself appear intimidating.</p><p>“Be careful, I can still ruin everything in one phone call, min pin,” he said with a humorless smile.</p><p>“No you can’t. Just leave his life and everything will be okay. If you don’t, I’ll…I’ll.”</p><p>“You’ll what? Attack me? I could put you in jail for that without framing you.” He picked his phone back up. “Come on Mika, this party isn’t fun anymore.”</p><p>Mika held his cheek and tried not to cry. He stood with a slump in his back like a beaten animal, giving Yuu a helpless look.</p><p>“I’m not done with you, punk,” Yuu shouted, catching other people’s attention.</p><p>Mika silently willed Yuu to shut up and not make it worse than it already was. The man crossed his arms. “Oh really?” He looked amused.</p><p>“Yeah. I just wanted to let everyone know that Mika is <em>mine</em> first and foremost, and I don’t even have to force him to like me. He was never yours, and you’re nothing to him,” Yuu yelled, hoping the whole neighborhood heard him. “You have no one. No one would ever love you.”</p><p>Lacus approached Yuu to stare him down to his face. “For someone who actually has nothing, you have a lot of nerve exposing me like that,” he said with a laugh, although his eyes were so serious they were like daggers. “Alright, have your Mika. But I hope you like visiting him in a prison across the country, because by the time I’m done, that’s where he’ll be. He’ll be the most feared man in the world,” he threatened quietly so only he could hear before pushing Yuu and walking away. A few students snickered at him as he made his exit, and he pretended not to notice. It would’ve been a walk of shame if he hadn’t left Mika and Yuu feeling so devastated.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Yuu asked Mika when people had started to get distracted from them.</p><p>“I don’t know,” Mika admitted. “Thanks, I guess.” He didn’t know whether to thank Yuu or hate him for what he’d done, but he couldn’t bring himself to do the latter, so he settled for a half-hearted form of the former.</p><p>“I’m going to find Shinoa, and we can go to my dorm,” Yuu offered, taking his hand. He didn’t want to let Mika go by himself in case that guy was still out there waiting to steal him away again. Mika followed him in a daze. His whole life was on a timer, and he didn’t know what to do.</p><p>Yuu found Shinoa tipsy and trying to kiss Mitsuba’s cheek. She always tried to kiss her when she was drunk. Mitsuba was blushing like mad and trying to push her away. Kimizuki, who was more drunk than the rest, was laughing so hard he was on the floor. Yoichi just sat silently on his phone, repeatedly refreshing it and occasionally typing things. He looked at Yuu as he walked up with Mika. Mika noticed that the boy ignored him intentionally and thought that was strange. Yoichi hadn’t talked to him much, but he hadn’t seemed like a jerk.</p><p>“This party’s pretty good, isn’t it?” Yoichi asked Yuu softly.</p><p>“I guess,” Yuu grumbled. “Hey, Shinoa, we need to go.”</p><p>“What? Cherry boy’s going to finally sleep with a pretty girl?” She blinked a few times. “Wait, no, that’s Mika. What’s he doing here holding your hand, Yuu?”</p><p>“I can explain later, we just really need to get to my dorm, and I’m your ride.” He jingled the keys as if to remind her.</p><p>“Fiine. We’ll continue this later, Mitsu~” she said.</p><p>Mitsuba didn’t answer, hiding her face in her hands in embarrassment.</p><p>“Bye!” Kimizuki shouted from the floor before giggling again.</p><p>“Goodbye, Yuu,” Yoichi said, waving.</p><p>“Yeah, see you, Yoichi,” Yuu responded, finding it just a touch strange how he specified saying bye to him. Knowing him, he would’ve hugged him or something. Yoichi was one of those really physically affectionate people usually. Instead, he just pulled his phone back out.</p><p>They herded Shinoa out the front yard and into the back of her car. Mika sat in the passenger seat, and Yuu started to drive.</p><p>“What did I miss?” She asked, leaning forward between their seats.</p><p>“Well, Mika and I finally kissed, but someone took a picture of us and posted it on Instagram, and this guy threatened to ruin Mika’s life because he was pretending to be his boyfriend,” Yuu explained.</p><p>“Damn, I missed a whole movie plot for three drinks,” she lamented.</p><p>“Yuu, why was Yoichi acting weird?” Mika asked.</p><p>“Was he? Maybe he was just a little drunk,” Yuu suggested.</p><p>“Nah, Yoichi didn’t drink anything,” Shinoa piped in.</p><p>“Huh. Well, he did avoid hugging me for once,” Yuu said thoughtfully.</p><p>“And he pretended I didn’t exist,” Mika added.</p><p>Yuu thought about it for the rest of the drive, feeling a pit of doubt in his stomach. <em>What if…?</em> He couldn’t bring himself to suspect the sweet college student he’d been friends with for who knew how long. He had been friends with Yoichi longer than Mika, but they’d had a falling out for some silly reason until they fixed things their freshman year of college. Mika and Yuu had grown exponentially close during that time. Yoichi was willing to pretend the fight hadn’t happened and treated Yuu as kindly as he always had, hugging him and making a point to find him at parties to make sure he wasn’t alone. Yuu started to grow paranoid the more he pondered over it. He decided to hunt down the post to confirm his worries.</p><p>After dropping Shinoa off, Yuu drove to his dorm and rushed up the stairs with Mika close behind. He opened his door hurriedly and pulled out his phone to scroll through the latest posts. Then, he found it. The post was a picture of their first kiss with the caption ‘Life isn’t fair’. Yoichi had posted it. Yuu wanted to throw his phone and scream. <em>How could he do this? We’re supposed to be friends!</em> He turned to Mika, who was slowly shutting the door.</p><p>“Yoichi was the one,” Yuu said.</p><p>Mika groaned and sat on his bed. “What are you going to do?”</p><p>“I’m going to call him. To tell him how badly he fucked up,” Yuu stated.</p><p>Sprawling out on the bed and running his hands through his hair out of stress, Mika didn’t object to Yuu’s plan. He didn’t have any answers for what to do. Nothing could fix the damage done, so Yuu confronting his friend wasn’t something he would advise for or against. Yuu dialed Yoichi and waited for the phone to be picked up.</p><p>“Why would you do this?” Yuu demanded once the boy picked up.</p><p>“Oh, you saw it,” Yoichi said.</p><p>“Well duh, we’re friends on social media. Although I’m starting to doubt if we are again in reality,” Yuu seethed. “Do you even know what you did to Mika by posting that? Or me?”</p><p>“I just didn’t understand, Yuu. I’ve known you longer and been there for you more times than he has. He already has so much, and I have nothing. And now, he also has your heart. It isn’t fair,” Yoichi said, sounding like he was crying.</p><p>“Yoichi, I didn’t choose who to like, it just happened. I can’t believe you’d do that out of jealousy. How can I trust you after this?”</p><p>“If I have to see you with him all the time, I don’t think I can handle being your friend anyway,” Yoichi sobbed. “But I don’t want to lose you again.”</p><p>“Can you please at least take the post down before my dad sees it?” Yuu pleaded.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m so sorry. I thought it’d make you change your mind,” Yoichi rambled. “And I just feel like Mika and I are similar anyway, so it hurts that much more. It could’ve been me.”</p><p>Yuu watched the post vanish and sighed in relief. “Yoichi, that was a very selfish move you made, and I can’t talk to you for a long time because of it. Mika might lose everything, and my dad might get mad at me. Maybe I’ll forgive you someday, but you need to calm down first. I’m sure Mitsuba will be there for you.” He hung up.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Day 20 - First Kiss part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Lacus calls Mika and they end up making a deal. In public, Mika and Yuu must pretend to be dating people and that they don't have eyes for each other, but they're allowed to spend their nights together in Yuu's dorm.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yuu rested his head on Mika’s chest and tried not to feel so stressed out by the situation. They should’ve been happy to finally find that they liked each other, but the air held a dense sense of anticipation and foreboding. Mika pet Yuu’s hair and tangled his fingers into the black locks to soothe him, despite feeling tense himself. His phone started to ring, and he groaned, fishing it out of his pocket without disturbing the boy on top of him.</p><p>“Hello?” Mika asked without checking who it was.</p><p>“I’ve already set my plans in motion. Are you ready to be framed for murder?” Lacus asked him.</p><p>“Murder? How could you pin that on me?”</p><p>“I took an unsolved case and viola, you’re suddenly the number one suspect. Expect some visits in the next few days. Lots of questioning and probably some harsh treatment,” Lacus said emotionlessly.</p><p>“Why are you doing this?”</p><p>“Your little pet embarrassed me in front of all those people, so I’m going to make sure he doesn’t get you. No one will by the time I’m done. You’ll be in solitary confinement.”</p><p>“Lacus, please. I can just find everyone and tell them we were all drunk. I’m sure most of them don’t even remember what happened. I’ll even pretend to be married to you, if I have to. Just don’t do this to me.” Mika hated how desperate he sounded, but he hoped that deep down, Lacus had a heart. A twisted one, but a heart, nonetheless.</p><p>“Hmm, I would be willing to accept, but your dog needs to do something to make up for what he did as well. Someone relayed to me his phone call a few minutes ago. I want him to pretend he’s going steady with that boy and accidentally cheated with you because of intoxication. Only then will I call off the investigation. And by the way, I set you up to have murdered Yoichi’s sister, so he’ll hate you even more if you don’t agree to this.”</p><p>Mika felt dread weighing heavy on his limbs, stomach, mind, and most cumbersomely, on his heart. He didn’t want to do this, but he didn’t want to be considered a murderer for the rest of his life! “Can I please make one request?” He asked quietly, hardly more than a whisper.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Can I see Yuu in private and go to classes when you don’t need me?”</p><p>“Yes, I have no use for you when I’m not in public. You should know this, Mika. I’ll start picking you up from the dorm building as if I’m your cool boyfriend from another school.”</p><p>“Thank you,” he breathed. “I’ll talk to him.”</p><p>“If things don’t go back to normal, I have my inside source on speed dial.” Lacus hung up.</p><p>Mika sighed deeply and dropped his phone on the bed beside him.</p><p>“I convinced him not to frame me for murder, but we both have to do things in return,” Mika started to explain.</p><p>“What,” Yuu growled, not even asking but stating the word.</p><p>“I have to pretend to be his boyfriend again, but he said I can stay here and enroll in classes again when he doesn’t need to keep his appearances up.”</p><p>“Okay, that should buy us time to tell my dad and get the cops on the case. He obviously knows someone on the team if he could threaten to frame you for murder.”</p><p>“Also, he says you have to pretend to be dating Yoichi in public, so that people think you just cheated on him with me and that’s why he posted the picture,” Mika said in a rush, anticipating an explosion.</p><p>Yuu raised his head to stare at Mika. “You have to be joking.”</p><p>“I’m serious.”</p><p>He growled in frustration. “I don’t even know if I can look at him right now. Do you think he has to think we’re dating too? Or can I tell him it’s fake?”</p><p>Mika thought about it for a few minutes. “Do you think he’d be willing to help you like this, or would it make him more upset?”</p><p>“He seemed genuinely sorry for what he did, so maybe he’d be willing to make up for it,” Yuu thought out loud. “Plus, he’d at least get to be around me more than I was planning on him being. I just hope he doesn’t think I’m taking advantage of the fact that he likes me so much. It wasn’t exactly my choice.”</p><p>“Do you want me to tell him?” Mika asked.</p><p>“Hell no, he’d probably just hang up if you called him now. I’ll go see him in person.”</p><p>“I’ll stay here,” Mika said hesitantly.</p><p>Yuu leaned down and placed a slow, passionate kiss on his lips. “Just remember you’re the one I really want to be with. We’ll buy ourselves some time and convince my dad to help us out of this mess.”</p><p>Mika nodded, resting a hand on his cheek. “We’ll get through this. Now go talk to Yoichi. And good luck.”</p><p>After taking a deep breath, Yuu nodded and slid off of the bed. He threw on his hoodie and shoes and walked out of the room, making sure to lock it in case anyone tried to get in and attack Mika. It seemed he couldn’t be too careful after everything that had happened in the span of a single evening. He got a text from Mika on his way.</p><p>
  <strong>Btw, I could be framed for killing Yoichi’s older sister if we don’t do this. He might need to know that</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Ok, thanks</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Yuu sighed. That would’ve been terrible. Yoichi would’ve had to go through another round of questioning and investigation when he had finally gotten through therapy and grieving. He was supposed to be mad at the boy, but it was hard to stay mad at him when he still saw him kind of like a little kid brother. He’d never tell Yoichi, but he still saw him as the eight-year-old crybaby he’d been friends with in elementary school. That’s part of why he found it so surprising that Yoichi liked him romantically, much less that he could get jealous. Yuu made his way to the other dorm building across a courtyard of sorts and used a card to get in. He climbed the stairs to the fourth level and lightly knocked on door 405. When no one answered for a few moments, he checked the time: 2:30 a.m. <em>There’s no way he’s still at the party.</em> He knocked again with a little more urgency.</p><p>Yoichi finally opened the door, his eyes bloodshot and watery and his nose running. His eyes widened when he found Yuu standing there and he almost shut the door. Then, he almost hugged him. Instead, he settled for looking at his shoes in shame.</p><p>“It’s pretty late,” he reminded Yuu.</p><p>“I know, I’m sorry. Can I come in? I have a lot I need to explain,” Yuu said, hoping Yoichi could hear the panic in his voice.</p><p>“Uh, sure, I guess. It’s probably a mess, though.” Yoichi flipped on his light and sat at his desk chair as if his legs couldn’t support his weight. Yuu slowly shut the door, making sure to keep a distance from the boy so he didn’t get the wrong idea.</p><p>“Please believe me,” Yuu started.</p><p>“I will. I don’t understand why you’re here after you said you couldn’t even stand to talk to me,” Yoichi said, his eyes releasing some unshed tears. He looked so hurt, and it wrenched Yuu’s heart. Normally, he would’ve punched anyone who made his friend so upset.</p><p>“That’s just it. I wasn’t ready to talk to you yet, but I have to. You know how I said Mika’s life was going to get ruined?”</p><p>“Yeah, I think so.” Yoichi still didn’t look up at him.</p><p>“He set him up to be framed for a murder,” Yuu said, “unless Mika went back to pretending to date him in public, and I started pretending to date you. He wants the public to believe we’re together and I cheated on you with Mika due to alcohol at the party.”</p><p>Yoichi finally looked at him. “That’s crazy! Why would he do that? And why would anyone believe you if you suddenly said we were dating?”</p><p>“I’ll have to try really hard. You know how rumors are here, hopefully they won’t even question it.”</p><p>“So I have to pretend to be your boyfriend during classes and at parties?” Yoichi asked, his eyebrows scrunched up.</p><p>“Yeah, it’s the only way to keep Mika safe.”</p><p>“Do I get anything out of the deal?” Yoichi asked.</p><p>“Well, that’s a little sensitive information.”</p><p>“I can handle it.” He wiped his tears.</p><p>“If we don’t do this, they’ll reopen the case for your sister with Mika as the number one suspect.”</p><p>Yoichi sucked air through his teeth. “Okay. We can do this. After this is over, we’ll be friends again, right?” He asked hopefully.</p><p>“I think so, yeah. I know you let your emotions get the best of you, but you’re still the nice kid I met back in preschool.”</p><p>“Alright. So what are we going to do to pretend to date? Like affection in public, flirting, dates?”</p><p>“Probably. It has to be a believable college relationship that was suffering in secrecy for however long, so I’m guessing people will expect a show.” Yuu wasn’t sure how he’d be able to pretend to be head over heels for his friend, but he had to try for Mika’s sake. Maybe he would pretend Yoichi was Mika sometimes, if he could manage that.</p><p>“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Yoichi smiled softly. “Tell Mika I said hi.” He held out his fist to fist-bump Yuu, which was new, but he was glad for the lack of hugging. They’d be doing way too much of that before long.</p><p>“Bye,” Yuu said. <em>That went way better than I expected.</em> He quietly left the dorm and made the trek back to his room, back to Mika.</p><p>Yuu unlocked his door and opened it to find Mika posing on his bed like on Titanic.</p><p>“Were you like that this whole time?” Yuu asked, laughing to hide the blush on his face.</p><p>“Nope, I heard you unlock the door.” Mika sat up. “What did he say?”</p><p>“He was surprisingly okay with it. I guess everything starts tomorrow. He also said to say hi to you.”</p><p>Mika raised his eyebrows. “Wow, he gets over things quickly.”</p><p>“Yeah.” Yuu sat next to Mika on his bed. “Are you comfortable sharing a bed with me?” He asked.</p><p>He nodded and smiled. “We’ve had sleepovers before, it should be fine.”</p><p>Yuu slumped down until he was laying facing Mika. “I’m just glad you’re back,” he said softly, waiting for Mika to lie down across from him before pressing their foreheads together.</p><p>“Me too. If Lacus doesn’t need me tomorrow, could I use your laptop to email the dean?”</p><p>“Of course. I don’t have anything to hide on there besides maybe an awkward fanfic.”</p><p>“Oh really? Of what?” Mika asked, amused. His blue eyes sparkled in the low light.</p><p>Yuu blushed and shut his eyes for a few seconds. “Two OCs who obviously are based off of us,” he admitted.</p><p>“No way, what are their names?”</p><p>“Kai and Uyu.” Yuu looked away, feeling embarrassed.</p><p>“Now I have to read it.” Mika got up and walked over to his desk to turn on the laptop.</p><p>Yuu hid in the covers, waiting for Mika’s disappointment. Mika figured out that Yuu’s password was ‘Mikaela’ and got into the laptop. He searched through the files until he found it.</p><p>“Oh man, it’s actually a fanfic in an anime?” He asked, scrolling up to the top.</p><p>“Kind of. I just liked the setting and the interesting supernatural elements.”</p><p>Mika was silent after that, fully immersed in the story.</p><p>
  <strong>Kai was so thirsty. He hadn’t had any blood for days, because if he didn’t drink blood, he could keep his gorgeous blue eyes and continue to age like a human, despite the fact that he would never regain humanity again.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>“You can have some of mine,” Uyu offered. He didn’t like to see the handsome creature suffer. He exposed his neck so Kai could see his veins pulsing with life.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Kai eyed the boy’s jugular, feeling so much desire and lust for blood that he could’ve easily mistook it for arousal. But he blinked it away and looked at Uyu’s eyes instead. “I don’t want to hurt you.”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>“I haven’t seen you in months. I want to do this for you,” Uyu said earnestly, pulling his shirt down lower and tilting his head. “Just hurry up and do it.”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>“I can survive without it.”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>“You’ll turn into a demon.”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>“But if I do it, I’ll become a monster anyway.”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>“Demons are worse,” Uyu stated, his green eyes serious.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Kai relinquished and kneeled beside the boy who was sitting on the ground. Before he sunk his fangs in, he licked his lips and kissed Uyu’s neck softly. “Before I am overcome by bloodlust, I want you to know that I love you.”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>“I love you too.” Uyu tangled his hands in Kai’s soft blonde hair and waited.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Releasing a breath that sent shivers down Uyu’s spine, Kai opened his mouth to elongate his fangs and slowly sunk them in to make two puncture wounds. He gulped at the blood, sucking on the boy’s neck. Uyu tried to hold in a moan of pleasure, because this wasn’t supposed to be a sexual moment. He was helping Kai. Nothing more. And yet, it felt so good. He wondered if Kai felt the same way.</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>“Damn, this is practically smut,” Mika muttered. “But it’s well written. Do you have a thing for vampirism?” He looked at Yuu, who was reduced into a lump in his covers.</p><p>“Maybe,” Yuu squeaked. He felt Mika settle onto the bed with him and slowly pull the blankets off of him.</p><p>“Do you want me to bite you?” He asked softly, looking down at Yuu’s flustered face.</p><p>“Mika, it’s probably 4 in the morning,” Yuu objected.</p><p>“So? Vampires are nocturnal.” He smirked.</p><p>“You aren’t really a vampire.”</p><p>“You don’t know that. Have you seen me eat anything or go in the sun in the past few months?”</p><p>Yuu shook his head. He watched Mika’s mouth as he talked, trying to catch a glimpse of fangs. He found that, while he didn’t have fangs, Mika’s canine teeth were unusually sharp. This fact made him blush deeper.</p><p>“I won’t do anything unless you want me to.”</p><p>“You can, just don’t make it in a visible place.”</p><p>Mika lifted his shirt and bit his collarbone, leaving a hickey. Yuu hummed and gripped the sheets in pleasure and tried not to get a boner. Mika released the bite slowly and licked the bruise that was appearing. “Goodnight, Yuu.” He kissed his nose innocently.</p><p>“G-goodnight, Mika.”</p><p>Mika flipped off the lights and curled up with Yuu calmly.</p><p> </p><p>Early the next morning, Yuu had to get dressed for his first class. He still regretted picking such an early class, and shut off the alarm before Mika woke up. Sliding out of his arms, Yuu wriggled out of his clothes and threw on something clean. He made sure the hem of his t-shirt covered the blossoming bruise. Gently, he kissed Mika’s cheek, left the room, and locked the door. He rubbed at his face to try and wake himself up, stopping in the bathroom on his way to class. <em>I wonder how this day will go.</em></p><p>When Yuu left the building, he found Yoichi waiting for him, miraculously not looking like he had cried until only a few hours ago.</p><p>“Good morning,” he said cheerfully, but Yuu could sense his awkwardness. He understood that, because suddenly he felt awkward too.</p><p>“Morning,” Yuu responded curtly.</p><p>Before Yuu could think about it too much, he took Yoichi’s hand in his. It was smaller than Mika’s hand and clammy. It felt so wrong to be holding his friend’s hand like this right after telling Mika how he felt about him. Yoichi didn’t comment on it, so neither did Yuu. They tried their best to pretend it was normal and everything was fine. Yuu even managed to smile at a few people who passed by and stared at them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Day 20 - First Kiss part 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yuu and Yoichi have to pretend to date for the first day, which quickly becomes really embarrassing, thanks to Shinoa. Yuu decides to tell his dad everything, unsure how he'll react.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Unfortunately, Yuu had ended up in almost all of the same courses as Yoichi that semester, so they arranged to sit near each other in three of his four classes. They’d only even been at the same table in one before, and that was due to Shinoa forcing them to both sit with her. That was the course they had on Wednesdays only, so they had some time before then.</p><p>Yuu ended up being Yoichi’s partner for two new projects, and everyone seemed to get the message that they were an item. It really wasn’t as hard as Yuu thought it’d be, because couples usually acted almost the same way he used to treat Yoichi, just with more affection and actual feelings besides a bro-ship. Yoichi seemed nervous about the whole situation, so Yuu found himself overcompensating so people wouldn’t perceive the awkward aversion to each other. That’s how he ended up holding his hand almost all day long. It wasn’t until they ran into Shinoa and Mitsuba at lunch that anyone questioned them.</p><p>“A new guy every day? Yuu, I don’t think that’s really your style,” Shinoa said.</p><p>Yuu blushed. “I…”</p><p>“He cheated on me with Mika,” Yoichi stated, using his real jealousy to sound genuine. “And he won’t do it again. I decided we should be open about our relationship in public after that.”</p><p>Yuu was surprised how confident Yoichi was about acting. Apparently, it was easier for him to lie to Shinoa, which unsettled him.</p><p>Shinoa smacked Yuu in the head. “How dare you cheat on this poor little baby,” she said with a pout.</p><p>Holding his head, Yuu grumbled. He didn’t exactly like the image this was going to give him in the long run. “I drank some alcohol behind your back and made a stupid decision,” he explained, hoping he was as believable as Yoichi.</p><p>“Huh? But didn’t you drive me home?” She asked.</p><p>“No, you’re remembering it wrong. Mika drove you home before Yoichi found out and called me.”</p><p>“Hmm, okay. So how long have you guys been together without telling me?”</p><p>Having not decided on a timeline, Yuu stayed silent.</p><p>“Since last year,” Yoichi supplied. He had kept track of when they became friends again, so it lined up well with when they started getting along.</p><p>“I guess that explains why you guys usually spent time together at parties,” she said thoughtfully.</p><p>“I hope this doesn’t change our group dynamic,” Mitsuba added. “If you guys break up, please don’t start hating each other. I don’t think I could pick sides.”</p><p>“Oh, we’ll be fine. Don’t worry,” Yuu reassured. He remembered how he had told Yoichi to go to Mitsuba the previous night and wondered if he had.</p><p>“Now that I think about it, Yoichi did start crying at the party last night,” Mitsuba said. “He must’ve been really upset about you cheating on him. I’m glad you guys didn’t let that separate you. Does Mika know you used him to cheat?”</p><p>“Yeah, in fact, he cheated on his boyfriend with Yuu, too. It was like seeing each other again made them forget who they were actually supposed to be at the party with last night. At least everything is worked out again. I wanted to give Yuu a second chance since we’ve been together so long.”</p><p>Yuu was shocked that Mitsuba and Shinoa believed everything after that conversation. They kept planning dates for them and figuring out ways to tell other people about them. It made Yuu sick to his stomach, because he still wanted so badly to do this with Mika.</p><p>“Now I’m curious how much of a cherry boy you really are,” Shinoa cut into Yuu’s thoughts, or daydreams rather. “Have you had sex?”</p><p>Yuu was so startled he straightened his back into his chair and stared at her. <em>What am I supposed to say? We can’t say we dated for almost a year and didn’t have sex, can we? Would anyone even buy that?</em> While he was internally panicking, Yoichi answered calmly.</p><p>“Shinoa, that’s not really your business.”</p><p>“But I want to know,” she whined.</p><p>He hesitated and glanced at Yuu as if they could silently communicate before looking back at the girls across the table.</p><p>“Oh goodness, I bet they have,” Mitsuba said with a smile.</p><p>Yoichi smiled back but didn’t accept or deny it. They seemed to take this as an answer.</p><p>“Okay, now we need to figure out who’d bottom,” Shinoa said, scrutinizing them. “I’d bet on Yoichi.”</p><p>Yuu did not want to be in this conversation right now, because thinking of his friend possibly having fantasized about him in that way was enough to make him want to rush to the bathroom and throw up. He might’ve been really gay for his other best friend, but the thought of Yoichi wanting him sexually still irked him. Yoichi must’ve realized how he was feeling by the death grip he had on his hand, because he diverted the conversation.</p><p>“What you should really be asking yourselves is which one of us asked the other out,” he said.</p><p>Both girls took the bait and started discussing hypotheticals on where, when, and how they started dating. Some of the ideas they came up with were really amusing, while others were downright impossible. It was soon time for Yuu and Yoichi to go to their only class apart from each other. Yoichi’s was a little later in the afternoon, but he took the excuse of walking Yuu to class to avoid the embarrassing conversation.</p><p>Once they were out of the cafeteria area, Yuu glanced at Yoichi. “Thanks,” he muttered.</p><p>“No problem, what’re friends for?” Yoichi replied quietly with a smile.</p><p>Yoichi really did walk Yuu to his next class before having some time to himself. He decided to visit Mika, whom he assumed was still in Yuu’s dorm. He didn’t tell Yuu that’s where he was going, but since they weren’t really dating, he didn’t feel the need to tell Yuu where he was all the time. He was surprised how happy we was with the whole situation. It reminded him of how they used to be as little kids before the falling out. Maybe he’d be able to get over his crush easier than he expected, because he could see how much Yuu wanted him to be there as his friend and not a lover.</p><p>After the trek to the building, Yoichi knocked on Yuu’s dorm door. He wondered if Mika was afraid it was a college official when he didn’t get an answer.</p><p>“Mika, please open up,” he said softly.</p><p>Finally, the door opened. “Oh, hi,” he said, sounding a little cold.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Yoichi said, looking up at him. Mika realized how small the boy was. He was practically child height. Yet, he’d been the one to completely upbraid his life.</p><p>“Come in,” Mika responded. “I’d like to talk to you.”</p><p>Yoichi nervously walked inside and shut the door behind him. He sat down on the chair that had shirts thrown over the back and turned it to face Mika.</p><p>“I thought you might want to talk about what happened and is happening,” Yoichi said.</p><p>“Yeah. I think the only way to keep myself from growing jealous and possessive is to befriend you,” Mika stated. “And in the process, I can help you get over Yuu. I have to admit that what you did last night wasn’t very nice, but you’re only human, and there’s no way you knew the chain of events it’d start. I think we started off on the wrong foot a long time ago, so I’d like to start over. Hi, I’m Mika.” He stuck out his hand to shake.</p><p>“I’m Yoichi.” Yoichi shook his hand, feeling weird. <em>Has Mika always been so tall?</em> It was a detail he hadn’t noticed before. There were a lot of things he hadn’t noticed before, now that he looked at the blonde. “And I’d like to be your friend. Hopefully, when this is all over, I can be friends with you and Yuu.”</p><p>“I’m glad you aren’t taking this opportunity to try and win Yuu over,” Mika said softly, losing the cold edge to his voice. “I’ve waited so long to see him again. I believe that you really just want him to be happy. Is that right?”</p><p>He nodded. “Even though he’s with you, I’m glad he isn’t depressed anymore. I can tell that all of the joyful glints and daydreams he has throughout the day must be because of you. I’m glad you both found someone and that you’re finally reunited somewhat.” Yoichi smiled softly. “I’m sorry I was so jealous last night. It wasn’t fair of me to judge you before talking to you just because you ended up with him.”</p><p>“You’re a pretty reasonable guy. I don’t think many people could handle the situation the three of us are in right now. If you ever find yourself struggling, you can talk to me,” Mika offered.</p><p>“Thank you. Same to you. But I have to get to class now.”</p><p>“Oh, what class do you have?”</p><p>“Nothing exciting, just statistics.”</p><p>“Ah, good luck.” Mika pulled the laptop back into his lap and started scrolling.</p><p>Yoichi left to go to his class. Once Mika was left alone, he checked the email he’d composed for the dean explaining his complicated situation. He hoped they’d have mercy on him. Yuu got out of class a little bit later and walked into his dorm.</p><p>“Uh, why was it unlocked?” He asked, concerned.</p><p>“Oh, Yoichi visited earlier. We’re going to be friends.”</p><p>Yuu raised his eyebrows. “That’s good, I guess.” He lounged on his bed. “Class sucked today,” he complained.</p><p>“What happened?” Mika asked.</p><p>“Nothing. They were super boring, like usual, but now I have to hold Yoichi’s hand almost the whole time and it’s all clammy and weird.” Yuu raised his hand as if he could still see the remnants of Yoichi’s grip on the skin. “And then Shinoa was asking weird sex questions.” He faced the wall and kept grumbling. Finally, he sat back up. “I need to call my dad.”</p><p>Mika knew why and nodded solemnly. “I’ll be here for support. Are you going to tell him everything?”</p><p>Yuu paused before hitting call. He realized that would entail coming out to him and sighed. “I guess I have to. He’d be able to tell if I was lying or hiding anything.”</p><p>Placing a small kiss on Yuu’s cheek, Mika smiled comfortingly. “I hope it goes well. And if not, I’ll be here holding your hand the whole time.” He gently took Yuu’s hand and it took all of Yuu’s self-discipline not to exclaim about how nice it was compared to Yoichi’s hand. He pressed call on his phone and held it to his ear, waiting for his dad to pick up.</p><p>“Hello, Yuu?”</p><p>“Hey, Dad, I have a lot to tell you. Do you have about an hour to talk?” Yuu asked with a polite ring to his tone that he didn’t usually have.</p><p>“Uh, I guess that’d be fine. I just have paperwork, but I can put that aside. It must be important for you to call out of the blue like this. What’s up?”</p><p>“So Mika came back, but he’s being threatened by a guy to force him to pretend to be his boyfriend. He has an inside connection to the station, because he said he could frame Mika for a murder if he didn’t continue pretending they were dating. But I kissed Mika and Yoichi got jealous and took a picture and posted it on Instagram. The guy saw it and started setting it up for Mika to be framed, but we convinced him not to as long as I pretended to date Yoichi and Mika went back to pretending he was dating this guy.”</p><p>“Yuu, what the hell are you rambling about? This is how you’re going to come out to me?” Guren didn’t sound impressed.</p><p>“That wasn’t the main point. The main point was that Mika is being blackmailed.”</p><p>“There isn’t much I can do besides try to figure out who the connection is. I guess I can see what I can do. Also, I’m glad you finally told me you’re gay.”</p><p>“You aren’t going to scold me?” Yuu asked, surprise evident in his voice.</p><p>“Of course not. Is Mika there? Can you put him on?”</p><p>Yuu handed the phone to Mika.</p><p>“Hello?” Mika asked uncertainly.</p><p>“If you hurt Yuu, I’ll break your face and shave your hair off,” Guren said. “But I doubt that’ll happen. You’ve always been a nice boy, and I’m sorry you’re in this situation. What is this man’s name who keeps threatening to frame you?”</p><p>“Lacus Welt.”</p><p>“Thank you, Mika. I’ll do what I can for you. In the meantime, you’re staying with Yuu, right?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Okay, good. I’ll call his phone if I need to contact you. And, one last thing. I better not find out you’ve had unsafe sex.”</p><p>“Yes sir. It won’t happen. I promise,” Mika said nervously.</p><p>Guren laughed, sending terrified chills down Mika’s neck. “Okay, I need to say bye to Yuu, now.”</p><p>He handed the phone to Yuu.</p><p>“Bye,” Guren said simply.</p><p>“Talk to you later.” Yuu replied, hanging up.</p><p>“Wow, that was not what I was expecting,” Mika said.</p><p>“Me neither,” Yuu agreed. They sat in a daze for a few seconds.</p><p>“I hope he finds something.” Mika muttered after thinking for a while.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Day 20 - First Kiss part 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mika has a 'date' with Lacus and thinks of some possibilities for fixing his situation in case Guren doesn't find anything. During the date, he finds ways to spite Lacus.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day, Mika had to go out with Lacus. He wasn’t looking forward to it, but he dressed up in Yuu’s nicest clothes anyway to play the part. Lacus picked him up in a purple convertible that was too loud and fast for Mika’s liking. He stayed quiet during the drive, staring at the passing scenery with his blond locks whipping around his solemn face. He looked like someone fulfilling a prison sentence, although he was thinking about how he wouldn’t have to do that because of what he was currently doing.</p><p>“You look nice today,” Lacus said, trying to get Mika into the mood.</p><p>“I’m wearing Yuu’s clothing,” Mika said with a note of pride.</p><p>Lacus didn’t try to hold small talk after that, instead turning up the radio and brooding behind dark sunglasses. The wind kicked his bangs up, making him look ridiculous when he probably thought he looked so cool. Mika felt downright bitter and like a cat who had been dunked in water and then left in the cold. He wanted to be riding with Yuu to some unknown place where they could be alone together.</p><p>They arrived about a half hour later. Lacus was taking Mika to some kind of formal lunch with his coworkers, and they all had spouses or people they were dating, so he wanted to show Mika off like his prized trophy. <em>This isn’t the damn Iliad. </em>Mika thought, annoyed that he was functioning as a source of boasting for the man he wasn’t even happily dating. He sat next to him with his arms crossed until others showed up. Then, he at least attempted to look like he wasn’t bored and disgusted, pretending his just had a resting bitch face. He curtly introduced himself and shook a few people’s hands, noting that Lacus was the youngest person there besides himself. All of his coworkers were at least thirty and half of them looked like they were part of the mafia, the other half like CEOs of big businesses.</p><p>Once they started talking, Mika ignored them by focusing intently on his menu, trying to find the single most expensive combination of appetizer, entrée, side dish, drink, and dessert. Lacus had to pay for him as his ‘boyfriend’ without question, so he wanted to make it worse on him any way he could. That’s how he ended up ordering stuffed mushrooms, seafood pasta, octopus salad, a fancy cocktail drink that he wouldn’t even drink, and fried ice cream topped with a truffle (dessert alone being over $100 somehow). When Mika confidently ordered, he noticed with pleasure how Lacus’ eyebrow twitched with annoyance. He ate all of his food but left the drink untouched.</p><p>When they got the bill at the end of the meal, Lacus scoffed at the price and shot a hidden glare at Mika. He paid with a card and waited to say his farewells and go to his car with Mika behind him strolling casually.</p><p>“What the hell. Need I remind you that I’m being generous to give you a second chance?” Lacus asked.</p><p>“I was hungry and those foods sounded so good. Thank you for buying them for me, darling,” Mika said, kissing him on the cheek. His tone was fake sweet, like diet sugar, and his kiss was cold, the cherry on top of his satirical act.</p><p>“Whatever. Next time, I’ll order for you,” Lacus said with a sigh. “You’re such a pain in the ass sometimes. I’d almost find it endearing if it wasn’t so expensive.” Mika noticed that he looked tired.</p><p>Lacus noticed some of his coworkers driving and walking past and placed a light kiss on Mika’s cheek before starting his car. He didn’t dare try to kiss his lips, especially after he kissed Yuu. He couldn’t get the image of them kissing out of his mind, and he found it chilling how jealous it made him. There was no way he was really harboring feelings for the stubborn, irritating, scathing blonde, right?</p><p>“I feel like we should get together with Yuu and Yoichi sometime,” Mika suggested, looking at the trees passing by the side of the car.</p><p>“Why would we do that?”</p><p>“I want you to meet the boys whose lives you almost ruined,” Mika said simply, glancing at him.</p><p>“Maybe I’ll plan something, if you promise to cooperate a little more.”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>“I’ll let you know when and if I have a plan,” Lacus said when he dropped Mika off at the dorm building.</p><p>“Thank you.” Mika was looking forward to having Yuu there with him. Even if they had to pretend not to date, he could at least look at him and share inside jokes.</p><p> </p><p>After Mika got into the dorm (Yuu had given him the key), he found that the dean had accepted his story and wanted to know which classes he wanted to enroll in. With a sigh of relief, he picked his courses and contacted the teachers to explain why he was late for the semester. Then, he sat on the bed and hummed for a bit, feeling bored. Finally, he decided to stop by the store and buy some things.</p><p>Mika walked down the street towards the store. He hadn’t walked that way for a long time. It almost felt unfamiliar. From a distance, he thought he saw Yuu with Yoichi and fought the urge to walk over to them. Instead, he quickened his pace and walked in through the automatic sliding doors of the store. Inside, Mika bought some microwave meals and dried fruit. He remembered what Guren had said to him and slipped a pack of condoms into his basket too. He went to self-checkout and was thankful that it didn’t give an alert when he scanned the condoms.</p><p>With his spoils in bags, Mika made the journey back to Yuu’s dorm. He wondered when classes ended that day. While he waited, he cooked himself some spaghetti-os. There was a knock on the door that almost gave him a heart attack until he remembered that Yuu didn’t have his key. He opened the door.</p><p>“How was the ‘date’?” Yuu asked, sitting down to eat half of the can Mika had prepared.</p><p>“I made him buy the most expensive thing on the menu,” Mika said with a smirk.</p><p>Yuu chuckled. “Good.” He ate a spoonful of hot noodles and burned his tongue. “Fuck.”</p><p>“I think I convinced him to do a double date with you and Yoichi,” Mika added.</p><p>“Wow, that’s like the closest thing to a date we’re going to get.”</p><p>“That’s what I was thinking.”</p><p>“Oh god, what if Lacus and Yoichi hit it off?” Yuu asked.</p><p>“That’d be interesting. I don’t think I’d wish Lacus on anyone, though. He might be a lonely guy, but I don’t really trust him.”</p><p>“What would you do if they ended up together?”</p><p>“I’d probably feel bad for Yoichi, but then again I’d be free. And if it was voluntary, maybe I’d just say screw it, they’re both adults.” Mika looked thoughtful. “Yuu, what if we tried to get them together?”</p><p>“Yoichi’s lonely, too, and he isn’t fully over me, but wouldn’t he get upset if he found out we were plotting about his love life?”</p><p>“Hmm, maybe. We could just see what the chemistry between them is,” Mika pointed out.</p><p>“Yeah, that sounds good. Getting them together might make things really complicated.” He flopped on his bed once finishing his bowl. That’s when he noticed a small box that hadn’t been there before. “Uh, Mika, why are there condoms sitting next to my laptop?”</p><p>“Oh, your dad said we better have safe sex, so I figured I should go ahead and get them while I was out.”</p><p>“He said that to you?” Yuu asked, blushing.</p><p>“Yep. He practically threatened me.”</p><p>“Does this mean you want to have sex?”</p><p>“Whenever you want to,” Mika said softly. He sat next to Yuu on the bed.</p><p>“I think I want to now,” Yuu admitted.</p><p>Mika’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected that. “Okay, we can.”</p><p>“Will you…bite me?” Yuu asked, blushing deeply.</p><p>“Yes, anything you want,” Mika promised with a loving smile.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Day 20 - First Kiss part 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Double date at the amusement park that ends up better than anyone anticipated!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The double date was about half a week later, on a Sunday. Lacus had planned for them to go to an amusement park together where some of his friends worked. In his convertible, Mika sat in the passenger seat with Yuu and Yoichi in the back. Yuu leaned forward to lean on the back of Mika’s seat to be closer to him. It seemed to bother Lacus, but he didn’t say anything. Yoichi, on the other hand, hardly even noticed. Yuu wondered if he was getting over him faster than he’d expected.</p><p>“Can you not act so coupley?” Lacus finally asked, making a childish face.</p><p>“It’s not like anyone will be able to tell. We’re going like forty miles an hour,” Mika said, holding Yuu’s hand next to his head.</p><p>Yoichi was unusually quiet the entire drive. Yuu wondered if he was scared of Lacus after what he’d told him about him threatening Mika. It was hard to read him when he was so solemn and silent. Too soon, they arrived in the parking lot. When they got to the ticket booth, there was an awkward moment where a few of them offered to pay. Lacus insisted on paying for Mika, Yuu objected saying he’d pay for him, and Yoichi said he could pay for everyone. They each ended up paying for themselves in the end. The woman working the ticket booth looked annoyed.</p><p>Lacus made a point to grab Mika’s hand, but Yuu was worried about Yoichi and didn’t want to push anything by taking his hand. They decided to go on a romantic ride that Lacus knew one of his friends was running. It was one of those rides invented for making out. Yuu wasn’t sure how that was supposed to go. <em>Are we just supposed to sit here and pretend like we have romantic plans?</em> While they boarded two boats that were luckily attached, Yuu decided to talk to Yoichi about it.</p><p>“Hey, are you doing okay?” He asked in a low tone.</p><p>“I’m fine, I just didn’t expect that to be the guy. He’s pretty attractive and doesn’t really seem harmful,” Yoichi muttered.</p><p>“Well, want to help me with a plan I’m thinking of? You might get to kiss him if you play it right,” Yuu said.</p><p>Yoichi looked flustered. “What if he gets mad?”</p><p>“If you kiss him well enough, he won’t be. He’s a lonely man.”</p><p>“What’s the plan?”</p><p>“Part way through the ride, climb into his boat in the dark and kiss him. I’m texting Mika about it so he’ll do the same thing and end up with me.” Yuu smiled. He knew they had decided to wait on matchmaking, but this was promising, and he wanted to kiss Mika. He sent the text and Mika responded with a thumbs up.</p><p>“Make sure if you talk, you try to make your voice sound like Mika’s,” Yuu reminded Yoichi. He nodded, trying to get his nerves up.</p><p>The ride started, and they were soon driven into blackness. Yuu felt the boat jostle a little and knew that Mika had made the climb across. He tapped Yoichi to tell him he could go over. Then, while the boy climbed, Yuu reached out to Mika and pulled him closer. Mika felt Yuu’s face and straddled his hips to kiss him.</p><p>“Are you sure this is a good plan?” He asked softly after a heated kiss.</p><p>Yuu heard a little gasp from the other boat and smiled. “Yeah.”</p><p>Lacus was shocked. Mika was kissing him, <em>and</em> he was a really good kisser. He wondered how jealous Yuu would be on the other side and imagined what it would be like to steal Mika from him. It didn’t matter in the moment, because the kiss was amazing. He pressed deeper into it, tangling his hands into hair. The ride was soon over, and he opened his eyes, only to be more shocked than he’d been in his life.</p><p>“Yoichi?” He yelped, glancing back at the two behind him smiling impishly.</p><p>“Uh, hi Lacus,” Yoichi said, hiding his blush behind his sleeve.</p><p>Lacus’ eyes were wide and thoughtful. He stepped out of the ride in some sort of daze. “Why did you kiss me?” He asked quietly.</p><p>“I thought you were cute, and Yuu made a plan for me to switch places with Mika,” Yoichi confessed as if he had been scolded.</p><p>“You find me cute?” Lacus asked, more confused than before.</p><p>“Yeah,” Yoichi looked like he wanted to vanish into thin air.</p><p>“No one’s ever actually wanted me before.”</p><p>Everyone fell silent for a few moments. Yuu had taken the opportunity to hold Mika’s hand. Lacus’ friend who was running the ride was watching with a tub of popcorn.</p><p>“What now?” Yoichi finally asked.</p><p>“Do you want to date me?” Lacus asked.</p><p>“We could try,” Yoichi said uncertainly. “As long as you don’t blackmail or threaten anyone anymore.”</p><p>“I won’t, I promise,” Lacus said quickly. He shakily held out his hand and Yoichi took it.</p><p>Mika squeezed Yuu’s hand. “You’re a good matchmaker,” he whispered.</p><p>After that, the tension between the four of them seemed to evaporate. Lacus actually smiled genuinely and told all kinds of things to Yoichi, and the brunette listened with a patient smile. They played some carnival games and rode on the Ferris wheel together, both acting like little kids and giggling. Somehow, they already had inside jokes.</p><p>Yuu took Mika to the worst rollercoaster in the park, and neither let the other one know how nervous they were to try it for the first time. Once they boarded, they gripped each other’s hands tightly until the first drop was under way. Then, they raised their hands together and laughed and screamed. The picture it took of them, despite being blurry, was completely full of joy and excitement.</p><p>“Let’s ride it again!” Yuu shouted, jumping up and down with determination in his green eyes.</p><p>“Yuu-chan, I think your bedhead is worse than usual,” Mika said with a snort, leading him back to the front of the line. “We’ll have to find the others before they leave without us.”</p><p>They rode the coaster three times before feeling the effects. Yuu could hardly walk, and Mika ended up carrying him bridal style through the crowd.</p><p>“Can you call Yoichi?” Mika asked.</p><p>“Sure.” Yuu dialed and waited for the brunette to pick up. It went to voicemail. “Damn.”</p><p>Mika set him down and called Lacus. No response from him either. He texted him instead.</p><p>
  <strong>Don’t leave without us, please</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>lol i wont. Were at the food area. Want anything?</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>Funnel cake would be great. See you soon</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Mika put his phone away and, although Yuu could stand just fine by then, he lifted him back up and carried him through the park to the food court. They found Lacus nuzzling into Yoichi and waiting for their order to be ready. Setting Yuu down on the other side of the table, Mika sat next to him. They dug into their funnel cake.</p><p>“This is a really good double date, Lacus,” Mika said. “Thank you for taking us here.”</p><p>“No problem. I think we should all exchange numbers so we can do this again. And Mika, I’m sorry for what I did to you. I wanted to let you know that I didn’t actually have connections.”</p><p>“Then how did you know about Yoichi and Yuu talking on the phone?”</p><p>“Yoichi told me. I’m in a group chat that he’s also in, and he was talking about it.”</p><p>Mika facepalmed. “Damn it Lacus. I still can’t believe you threatened me like that.”</p><p>“I know, I know. Not my best moment. But I was ridiculed so much for not having anyone. I felt so alone.” He hid his face in Yoichi’s neck.</p><p>There was an awkward period after that in which they had to explain everything to their friends, but then things were better than normal. Yoichi often went on dates with Lacus to meet his friends and coworkers, and he went on private dates with him, too. It wasn’t about appearances anymore, they were both genuinely happy for the time being. Meanwhile, Mika continued to live with Yuu. They told Guren that Lacus had been lying about having connections, and he seemed relieved to have the extra work off of his plate. Mika still refused to tell his parents anything, because he had disowned them when they kicked him out.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I feel like maybe Lacus x Yoichi would be relevant in an alternate universe where Lacus wasn't a vampire...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Day 21 - Crossover (Canon Divergence part 5)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nezumi and Mika share secrets with each other that they haven't admitted to anyone else before. Then, they make a deal.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the darkness, Nezumi led the way. He knew the vampires could easily see in the dark, but he didn’t trust them to go first. He also didn’t trust them to be behind him, so he frequently turned to make sure they weren’t trying anything. So far, they were fairly normal, just following him with fear evident in their eyes. <em>Why does the shorter one have green eyes and normal toned skin?</em> He wondered. Shion gripped his arm in a death grip, trying to urge him to go faster. Despite Nezumi slowing down for his benefit.</p><p>After traveling for thirty minutes, he found the entrance to the old bunker and twisted the top. It smelled of stale air, but he quickly descended the metal ladder. Shion was quick to follow him.</p><p>Mika and Yuu shared a glance.</p><p>“Should we really lock ourselves in with them?” Mika whispered for only his ears.</p><p>“It’s either that or face the other vampires,” Yuu said. “Plus, these guys might be able to help us.”</p><p>At the bottom of the ladder, Nezumi was in a mood.</p><p>“They aren’t going to be as useful as I thought. If they’re on the run with us, then I guess they’ll just be bloodthirsty refugees. Great,” he muttered sarcastically.</p><p>“They don’t seem that bad,” Shion reminded him.</p><p>“Do you want to be the one to sacrifice blood for them?” He snorted.</p><p>“If they needed it,” he said quietly, “then yeah.”</p><p>“You wouldn’t survive out here without me, I swear.” Nezumi crossed his arms and waited for the vampires. He assumed they were having a conversation about whether or not to trust him. He respected that.</p><p>Yuu went down first, making sure Mika was right after him. He waited when Mika closed and locked the door. They’re feet soon clicked onto metal ground. Nezumi figured out how to turn on an oil lamp, and it illuminated the space.</p><p>“Hopefully, we’ll be safe here, but I’d suggest posting a guard just in case,” Nezumi muttered.</p><p>“We can watch the entrance. We don’t sleep,” Mika offered coolly.</p><p>“Right, and I’m going to sleep soundly with two bloodsuckers watching my back,” Nezumi grumbled. “We’ll take turns. Yuu, you and Shion will get to rest. I’ll stay up with Mika. Then, we’ll switch off. How’s that sound?”</p><p>Yuu looked annoyed by the decision but nodded. He just wanted to spend time with Mika, but he guessed getting to know one of their new allies wouldn’t be too bad. He sat near Shion, who was curling up in an uncomfortable-looking bed. Before he could go directly to sleep, Yuu had to ask him the question that had been burning to be expressed since they met.</p><p>“What happened to your eyes?” He blurted.</p><p>Shion blinked at him. “Well, not too long ago, I felt really sick. I had a fever and I thought I was going to die. But then, Nezumi saved me. Sometime in the process, my hair turned white, my eyes red, and this snake marking appeared on my skin. It wraps all the way around my body down to my feet. I’m still not used to it, and it startles me when I look in the mirror. I know I’m still human, though.”</p><p>Yuu thought about that. “When you say not too long ago, do you remember when it happened?”</p><p>“I think it was yesterday, now that I think about it,” Shion said. “It feels like more time passed than that.” He laughed nervously.</p><p>“Yesterday, huh,” Yuu said thoughtfully. He wondered if it was only a coincidence that his appearance hadn’t changed when he turned, but Shion’s magically had. <em>How would that even be possible? It has to be a coincidence.</em></p><p>By then, Shion was settled into sleep, breathing calmly. Yuu sat on his chair and watched Mika and Nezumi interact from afar. He hated to admit, but seeing Mika talk to another man made him a little jealous.</p><p> </p><p>“So, are you and Shion a couple?” Mika asked quietly.</p><p>“No. I don’t see him that way,” Nezumi said with too much force and urgency. Mika took note of that. “What about you and Yuu?”</p><p>Mika felt his cheeks flushing. “We’ve been each other’s only company for a while, but I’ve never asked him if he felt anything towards me.”</p><p>“Do you see him romantically?” Nezumi asked in an indifferent tone.</p><p>“Yes, and you’re the only person who knows, now,” Mika confessed.</p><p>“He probably feels the same way, based on how he acts towards you. I haven’t seen you guys for long, but I can read people. I’d say he wants to be with you more than you could imagine.”</p><p>“Maybe. I’m worried I’ll mess up what we have if I say anything.”</p><p>“Hmmph. Information is power, you know. I have an advantage over you now, because I know what you care about in this world.”</p><p>“Are you going to blackmail me?” Mika asked, amused.</p><p>“If it comes to that,” Nezumi stated with a shrug. “Worst case scenario, I’ll take Yuu as a hostage.”</p><p>“You wouldn’t be able to. He’s strong. I’m not worried, because I have no reason to want to fight you.”</p><p>Nezumi seemed to deflate a little. “Then, I guess you can know. I might even feel love for Shion, some deep feeling that won’t let me leave his side, and I’m kind of scared someone could take advantage of that.”</p><p>“I’ve found that having someone you live to protect keeps your will to survive higher than anything else. It’s given me enough motivation and powerful emotion to do almost anything,” Mika said quietly.</p><p>“Except confess your feelings to Yuu,” Nezumi pointed out.</p><p>“You have no room to talk. I’ve seen the way you and Shion act. You’re practically worse than a married couple. Until you tell him how you feel without fear or shame, I don’t want you to mock me for what I have with Yuu-chan,” Mika said sternly.</p><p>“Fair enough.”</p><p>“How about, if I tell Yuu, you tell Shion?” Mika suggested.</p><p>“That sounds like some form of deal,” Nezumi pointed out.</p><p>“More or less.”</p><p>“I don’t usually accept deals like this, but I’m curious to see how it’ll play out.” Nezumi nodded decisively.</p><p>Mika sighed, as if he hadn’t expected him to agree to it. Now he had to figure out how to confess his feelings to Yuu. Their watch switched in a few hours, and he still couldn’t think of a good idea. Everything was too extravagant or embarrassing, especially if Yuu rejected him. While he sat near a sleeping Nezumi, he decided that a direct statement would work out the best. He stood up and walked over to where Yuu and Shion were standing guard and talking casually.</p><p>Yuu looked startled when Mika appeared out of the shadows, despite having night vision. Mika approached him like an apparition and leaned against the wall beside him.</p><p>“I have something I need to tell you alone,” Mika said softly.</p><p>“Shion, I’ll be right back,” Yuu promised.</p><p>“Alright,” Shion said with a kind smile.</p><p>Mika took Yuu into a nearby room and shut the door quietly.</p><p>“What is it?” He asked.</p><p>“Yuu, I love you,” Mika stated, meeting his eyes with the most passionate red gaze Yuu had ever seen.</p><p>Words got caught in Yuu’s throat when he opened his mouth to respond, so he instead hugged Mika close to him before kissing his lips, hoping to convey how he felt through actions. Surprised, Mika kissed him back, placing his arms around his neck.</p><p>“I love you too,” Yuu finally managed. “But I need to keep watch or they won’t trust us.”</p><p>Mika nodded with a smile. “We’ll continue this later.”</p><p>When Mika had his watch with Nezumi again, he had a triumphant air about him.</p><p>“What’s going on?” Nezumi asked, crossing his arms.</p><p>“I told Yuu how I felt and he feels the same way. It’s your turn now.”</p><p>Nezumi frowned and remained silent. “If this is a ploy to get me to lower my guard,” he grumbled.</p><p>“I could’ve taken you out by now if I wanted to,” Mika said, amused.</p><p>Rolling his eyes and sighing deeply, Nezumi muttered, “Keep watch.” He walked back to where Shion was sleeping. Hesitantly, he shook the boy awake. He blinked up at him with his red eyes.</p><p>“What is it?” He asked sleepily.</p><p>“Shion, I just wanted to make something unspoken spoken. I think I feel love for you,” Nezumi said quietly.</p><p>“Nezumi, we’ve kissed, held hands, and danced together. If we weren’t in love, I’d be worried,” Shion replied with a smile.</p><p>“Oh, I suppose you’re right. So we’ve both known?” He asked.</p><p>Shion nodded. “Of course.”</p><p>Feeling awkward and anticlimactic, Nezumi leaned in and kissed Shion softly on the lips.</p>
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<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Day 22 - Iconic Scene</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>So I kind of combined a few different iconic scenes and changed it up a little. The iconic scene that came to mind first was when Yuu stabbed Mika without realizing it was him, so that's where I started. Read to see where it goes from there!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If it wasn’t for the sword between them, and if he wasn’t on the brink of being a monster, and if Yuu wasn’t a pawn in their plans, this would’ve been somewhat close to how Mika imagined reuniting with Yuu. Of course, being stabbed through the chest wasn’t the penetration he’d hoped for many times. He winced and stared at Yuu once he was sure it was him. Yuu seemed to hesitate before his eyes widened. Mika could taste his own blood in his mouth.</p><p>“Yu…Yuu?” Mika struggled to say, hoping to get his attention. To say something.</p><p>“No…” Yuu immediately had regret in his face. He must’ve felt betrayed by himself. He had trained so hard to kill the bloodsuckers who’d killed his family, Mika. But here he was as the bloodsucker he was trying to kill.</p><p>Words rushed through Mika’s mind, but it was growing foggy from weakness and fatigue. He wasn’t supposed to take such a harsh wound without being a full vampire, but then again it was Yuu. Maybe he’d be alright with dying if it was Yuu who did it. Perhaps it would even end his misery, having seen him one last time to know he was alive. But wait, he was a damn pawn! Mika decided he couldn’t give in to the dragging of his limbs and pulled the sword out of his chest painfully.</p><p>“Yuu, we have to get out of here. Run away with me,” he whispered with some effort, holding the wound in his chest and staring at Yuu with pleading blue eyes.</p><p>“No way, I have friends here in the squad,” Yuu objected, meeting his gaze with a confused green one.</p><p>“I’m your only real friend. They’re just using you,” Mika insisted, coughing and splattering blood on the ground. It felt like they were in a pocket aside from the battle, which bought him time to try and convince his stubborn Yuu-chan to escape with him.</p><p>“I don’t believe that,” Yuu muttered. He wiped his sword clean.</p><p>“Then will you please do it for me,” Mika said. “You did just stab me. If I go off alone right now, I might die.”</p><p>“Why are you on the vampire side as a soldier? They wouldn’t make humans fight for them would they?” Yuu asked, scrutinizing Mika.</p><p>“I’m…not human anymore,” he admitted.</p><p>Yuu’s eyes widened.</p><p>“We don’t have time, Yuu.” Mika sighed and removed his hand from the wound. It had closed up partially and was covered by his tattered clothing. Blood stained the white uniform—the same one the other vampires around them wore, Yuu noticed.</p><p>Before Yuu could react, Mika grabbed his arm with surprising strength and lifted Yuu over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, of the rather violent and stubborn variety. Yuu struggled against Mika and shouted at him to let him down. Mika ignored him, saying he was doing it for his own good and he was brainwashed.</p><p>“You’re so possessive,” Yuu finally whined and fell quiet.</p><p>That hurt almost as much as being stabbed. Mika was just trying to keep him safe. He hadn’t even seen Yuu in years, and he was already insulting him. Maybe he had romanticized how Yuu treated him in his mind. Or maybe the brainwashing had changed him.</p><p>Well away from the fighting, Mika set Yuu down.</p><p>“Look, we can get your other friends when it’s less like a battle over there,” Mika finally agreed. If they meant so much to Yuu, he supposed he’d be able to guard Yuu and try it out.</p><p>Yuu stared at him. “But, Mika, if you aren’t human, they’re going to think you took me as a hostage.”</p><p>“I’m not working for the vampires either. I just needed them for…blood,” he muttered the last word shamefully.</p><p>“Why aren’t your eyes red, and why are you still the same age as me?” Yuu asked.</p><p>“I refuse to drink human blood,” Mika spat. “I’m not that much of a monster yet.” He groaned in pain and sat down against a building.</p><p>Without many options, Yuu sat next to him. “I thought you were dead.”</p><p>“So did I. Yuu, I’ve missed you so much.” Mika turned his head to look at him. “You’ve really grown up.”</p><p>“Look at you, Mika! You’re actually hot.”</p><p>Mika laughed, wincing from how much it hurt. “Did you expect me not to be? I honestly thought you’d be taller.”</p><p>“Hey,” Yuu said in an offended tone.</p><p>“I like that I’m taller than you.”</p><p>“What? Why?” Yuu snapped his head to meet Mika’s gaze and his cheeks blushed. The chemistry between them was definitely different.</p><p>“Because,” Mika whispered, “not only am I a monster now, but I’m also plagued by dirty thoughts.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>Mika stayed silent after admitting that. The air felt thick, so thick he thought he’d suffocate if he had to breathe as urgently as Yuu did.</p><p>“This isn’t how I imagined seeing you again would go,” Mika said.</p><p>“What did you expect?”</p><p>“I was planning on finally kissing you, confessing my love or something. But when you stabbed me, I kind of couldn’t find the right moment.”</p><p>“Sorry.” Yuu was in shock that Mika might love him. “I would redo it if I could and embrace you tightly in my arms and kiss you,” he said quietly. He had to admit when he wasn’t thinking about Mika probably being dead, he was thinking about what he would do if by some chance he was out there somewhere.</p><p>“I don’t know about a tight hug with this injury, but I’d like that,” Mika said with a smile. Yuu noticed his slight fangs for the first time.</p><p>Awkwardly due to the angle, Yuu tucked his face into Mika’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around him. He felt his long-lost friend relax into him and nuzzle the top of his head, placing a light kiss into his hair.</p><p>Yuu pulled away enough to look at Mika. “How long is that going to take to heal?”</p><p>“If I had blood, it’d heal much faster, but I think all of my vials were smashed. Maybe a day or two.”</p><p>“You could drink my blood, if you want.”</p><p>“No, absolutely not. I can’t believe you’d even try to tempt me after how long I’ve managed without succumbing to the thirst,” Mika grumbled.</p><p>“Alright, but I’ll offer any time you seem to be struggling,” Yuu said cheerily, as if he was only talking about his candy stash and not his life source.</p><p>Mika didn’t want to hear any more of it, so he cupped Yuu’s face in his hands and pressed a kiss to his lips. He blushed when his fangs accidentally clashed with Yuu’s mouth. Yuu kissed back, although he didn't want to see Mika hurting himself anymore. He lightly darted his tongue out so it 'accidentally' got sliced on one of his fangs and continued to kiss him to introduce some blood into his mouth, hoping it'd be enough for then.</p><p>When Mika tasted the blood, it was amazing for a few moments, but when he realized what happened, he spat it out urgently. "Yuu, I'll turn into a bloodthirsty beast. Just like the other vampires. I won't even have blue eyes anymore."</p><p>Yuu wiped the blood from his mouth and looked up at Mika. "How can I help you get what you need, then?" He asked, seeing how stubborn the blonde was being.</p><p>"I need blood from a vampire, preferably higher ranked," Mika explained.</p><p>"Leave it to me! Stay here and I'll be back with plenty," Yuu said with a grin.</p><p>"What if you don't come back?" Mika grunted.</p><p>"I will. I'll always come back, as long as I know you're alive." Yuu climbed down from the building to find vampires. He was still fighting for Mika, a slightly different reasoning, but it still gave him a purpose. He needed to injure and kill as many vampires as he could for Mika's sake. Asuramaru was eager to see what this new side to Yuu would bring.</p>
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<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Day 23 - Body Swap</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mika and Yuu wake up one morning to find that they swapped bodies.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mika yawned and stretched before stopping when he heard his voice. That wasn’t his voice. He brushed the black hair out of his face. <em>Wait, black hair?!</em> He inspected his hands and outfit. He didn’t have dinosaur pajamas and his skin was definitely paler. It took until looking in the mirror to put everything together and realize he was in his boyfriend’s body. He couldn’t believe it and pulled at his face and lifted his shirt to make sure. The scar he had on his body wasn’t there. Instead, he had well-defined muscles. He wondered if Yuu was in his body. He grabbed at his—Yuu’s—phone and realized he didn’t know the password.</p><p>Yuu felt like he was suffocating and didn’t know why. Hair was clinging to his face. So much hair it was heavy and unbearable. He grumbled about how he needed a haircut and pulled it back into a ponytail before turning the lights on. He noticed he was in Mika’s room and wondered if anything had happened the previous night without him remembering. He stepped out of bed and felt a bit of vertigo, because his legs felt a little longer than usual for some reason. He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming to play. Then, when he saw his reflection, he froze and widened his <em>blue</em> eyes. <em>Oh shit, I’m in Mika’s body. </em>He heard a knock on his door and opened it.</p><p>“Damn, is my hair usually that messy?” Yuu asked, inspecting his body.</p><p>“Yeah. I just spent half an hour trying to tame it. Nice ponytail, didn’t know my hair was long enough yet.” Mika walked in and shut the door behind him.</p><p>“Wow, you are taller than me,” Yuu exclaimed. “I can see the top of my head.”</p><p>Mika laughed, and it sounded strange through Yuu’s vocal cords. “I have a strange request.”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“I want to know what it’s like to kiss me,” Mika said, staring up at his own blue eyes. <em>This is so weird.</em></p><p>“Uh, okay.” Yuu awkwardly leaned down and pressed their lips together. It felt off, and what they were used to doing didn’t work quite as well.</p><p>“Are my lips always so chapped?” Yuu muttered, sounding embarrassed.</p><p>Mika nodded. “It doesn’t bother me, though.”</p><p>“I don’t want to do that again.”</p><p>“Agreed. We should wait until we’re back in our original bodies.”</p><p>“How do you think we can do that? And when?” Yuu asked.</p><p>“Well, in Legion, they did it by touching, but obviously that isn’t how it works in real life,” Mika thought out loud.</p><p>“Maybe if we go back to sleep?”</p><p>“Good idea.” Mika patted his bed and they curled up together. Cuddling felt very different, but not awkward like the kiss. It was just as nice as always. They were soon asleep.</p><p>When Mika opened his eyes, he was happy to find blonde hair clinging to his cheeks and eyelashes, having spilled out of the ponytail. He nuzzled into Yuu. After having been in his body, he felt like he knew where the most comfortable places to wrap his arms around him were, maybe even where his sensitive places were. Yuu woke up sometime later and smiled at Mika.</p><p>“The worst part about being in your body was not getting to look at you,” Yuu said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry this one's kind of short.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0033"><h2>33. Day 24 - Re-Imagine a Scene</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>When the Shinoa Squad and Mika left, except they took Guren with them.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They ran to the shore, carrying an unconscious Guren between them. Yuu had refused to leave him behind, even when Mika insisted that they leave, so when he passed out due to the strain of being possessed, they took the chance. They’d need him for answers, anyway. There was a fair amount of tension in the air as they all took turns to carry him.</p><p>Soon, they made it to a small wooden building and decided to rest.</p><p>“Mika, where are we going to go?” Yuu asked.</p><p>“I don’t know. I don’t trust this guy we’ve worked so hard to bring with us, so I don’t want him to know our plan until I talk to him. Your friends are alright, but this guy. I don’t know.”</p><p>“Guren’s fine,” Yuu insisted. “He’s a jerk sometimes, but deep down, he’s family.”</p><p>“You need to stop throwing that word around so casually.”</p><p>“You said we were family when I first met you.”</p><p>“That was different. We were both kids with no ulterior motives. Guren is probably just using you.”</p><p>“I think you’re just jealous that I made new friends,” Yuu teased tiredly.</p><p>“I’m not jealous, I just wish you’d be more careful.”</p><p>“What are you, my mom?”</p><p>“No, but I care a lot. I haven’t seen you for years, and I don’t want to lose you again,” Mika muttered. “It’s just like what you said when you forced me to drink your blood. I’ve lived this long to see you, and I don’t want you to be snatched away.”</p><p>Yuu grumbled an inaudible response and curled up with his head rested on Mika’s lap. Mika played with his hair, wishing he wasn’t so stubborn. He shut his eyes, feeling like he might be able to sleep if he tried. Halfway through the night, he heard movement and stared into the shadows. Guren was awake. Mika instantly shielded Yuu with his upper body protectively. He was surprised to hear the man softly crying.</p><p>“I have to get back to my soldiers,” he muttered to himself, wiping his eyes. “I don’t want anyone else to die.”</p><p>Guren stood up and stole out of the building. He couldn’t remember how he’d gotten there or why, but he knew he needed to go back to battle to make sure someone was still alive. He didn’t want to lose more people. In this frantic state of mind, he stumbled towards the demolished city in the dark. Mika assumed Yuu wouldn’t be happy in the morning, but he’d tried to take Guren with them. He had to admit he could see some humanity left in him when he wasn’t being his other self. It almost reminded him of Yuu, as much as he hated to think about it.</p><p>As anticipated, Yuu was a whirlwind when he woke up.</p><p>“We have to go after Guren,” he stated.</p><p>“Yuu, he left on his own. He’ll be fine,” Mika tried to reassure him.</p><p>“He needs my help.”</p><p>“He doesn’t. He’s an adult and a leader with a lot of plans you don’t even know about and people he cares about. You’d go back if your family was still there, right?” Mika asked.</p><p>“Yeah, that’s what I’m doing.”</p><p>“Yuu-chan, he has his own family to watch out for him back there. Let him go.”</p><p>Yuu pouted angrily.</p><p>“Look how many people you already have. And you have me.”</p><p>“You’re a person, too.”</p><p>“I’m a monster.”</p><p>“You’re still a person to me. You’ll always be my family.”</p><p>“In the same category as them?” Mika asked, motioning to the sleeping squad.</p><p>“Um,” Yuu faltered. “I guess.”</p><p>“I’m in love with you,” Mika said quietly. “I doubt they can say the same.”</p><p>Yuu’s mouth fell open and he stared at Mika for a few seconds. A blush sprawled across his cheeks and suddenly the space between them was so close yet far enough to make him feel a lacking. He had fought for Mika, dreamed of him, longed for him for years. It was what gave him a purpose all of those years. After thinking he lost him as a child who didn’t fully understand his emotional range, he had often wondered what it was he felt for the blonde that made him fight so fiercely for his sake. He could almost feel Asuramaru facepalming in his mind. It was then that he realized he had been staring at Mika, while the blonde got increasingly nervous, for probably over a minute.</p><p>“I’ve been in love with you since we were young, but I thought I’d never figure out what I felt.”</p><p>A small smile pulled at Mika’s lips. “I’m glad vampires can feel this emotion, out of all of them. I was worried I’d change and not hold onto it.”</p><p>Yuu placed a quick kiss to Mika’s lips as if to test it out. They both blushed afterwards and went back to sitting side by side when the others began to stir.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, so that's all of the prompts. I'm going to write a bonus chapter that actually has to do with the holy grail, and after that, I'll be open to suggestions for new stories and/or if you would like to see any of the stories so far go longer. I'm open to almost anything, so just let me know in the comments! Thank you for reading. :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0034"><h2>34. Bonus - Holy Grail</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>As promised, here is the bonus chapter! Mika was forced to search for the Holy Grail, and he never thought he'd want it for himself until the day he found it...<br/>Yuu was a powerful sorcerer who lived in a cave alone trying to fend off those who wanted to steal him from his home for his abilities. He didn't think he'd ever leave until he met someone he felt he might fall for. This someone actually cared about him instead of viewing him as the way to get what he wanted.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mika trudged through the landslide he had just barely avoided. The mountain path was treacherous, but the fate he’d face if he refused to follow orders was beyond his imagination. He climbed the mountain in a winding ascent, slipping in gravel and rolling on small boulders with his worn leather boots. He would’ve rather been at home tending to his animals and stoking a fire in his tiny fireplace. It was something he hadn’t done in years, and he wondered if the structure he felt safest in was even still there. His brother had promised to take care of it, but the younger boy was easily distracted and fickle.</p><p>As he climbed, Mika decided not to think of the ruin his house might become in his absence. There was nothing he could do to help it. The people who had kidnapped him and forced him onto this dangerous quest were able to find him wherever he went and wouldn’t hesitate to hunt him down if he betrayed them. They saw it as an exchange: they gave him food, money, and valuable information, and he searched for them. Many young men like Mika were under their service, all with strong, lithe bodies and sharp minds fit for the quest. They were each sent to different corners of the world in search of the Holy Grail. He doubted it even existed, because he wasn’t particularly religious or superstitious.</p><p>In legends, it was always noble knights who took it upon themselves to search for this item, but in reality, Mika had only ever knew of people being forced to look for it in case there were any adverse effects to touching it directly. He was one of many men who acted as the testers before the grail was delivered safely to the people who most wanted it. Mika himself wouldn’t want it even if it did exist, because he didn’t care about immortality. He simply wanted to live the way he had been before: reading books, gardening, cleaning his horse, and making simple meals. He hadn’t even wanted to marry, because he felt his life was perfect with just himself. A wife wasn’t something he was interested in ever, and he’d never found a single woman attractive.</p><p>Mika finally reached the mouth of a cave. It was dark inside, but he wasn’t too afraid. He walked in with his small torch and inspected the walls. The cave was fairly typical and didn’t hold any drawings or clues that it might be special. Nonetheless, its blank coolness beckoned to Mika, and he was glad for a break from the gravel and beating sunlight. Smooth rock ran at a gentle slope away from his boots as he walked into the mouth. He saw a bright orange salamander slither across his path and vanish into a crack in the wall. Water dripped quietly, echoing down the shadowy cavern. The walls opened up more as he progressed until he was in a large gallery of cave growths. He didn’t know what most of them were called, but it didn’t change how mesmerizing they were to look at, glittering in the flickering torchlight. For a moment, he feared it would all melt away in the smoke, as if it was only an ice sculpture or an illusion. He was so awestricken by the scenery that he didn’t notice a pair of green eyes scrutinizing him like a common pest.</p><p>“I assume you’re here for the grail,” a voice said, and the echo made it sound powerful and terrifying. Mika almost dropped his torch when he heard it and snapped his head around to find the source of the voice. For a moment, he was tempted to believe it had been a ghost, a spirit of the mountain.</p><p>“Yes,” he finally said, looking at the boy standing just where the light could graze his skin. His green eyes glimmered in the light much like the rock structures around him, reminding Mika of precious emeralds. “But not for myself,” he felt obligated to add.</p><p>“You don’t want immortality?” The boy asked, staring at him with his nose slightly raised, as if he was above Mika. He probably was.</p><p>“No, I just want to go home,” Mika admitted weakly. It felt like those green eyes were compelling him to tell the truth. They softened at his tone.</p><p>“You’re one of the hired ones,” he affirmed quietly, his voice sounding almost sympathetic. “Will you stay for a bit?” He asked hopefully.</p><p>“I suppose I can. They won’t think I’m neglecting my quest if I’m in the location I’m supposed to be,” Mika said thoughtfully.</p><p>“Follow me,” the boy said with a phantom of a smile. He vanished into the threshold where the light fell to shadow.</p><p>Suddenly fearful that he might be abandoned, Mika followed close behind the boy. He was soon so close that he could smell the scent of moss and spring emanating from him. He wondered who he could possibly be and why he was in a cave. He didn’t look like a hermit, and he must’ve been around Mika’s own age. They were soon in a separate section of the cave, and Mika found a small bed of straw and an area for sitting. The boy was busying himself with something while Mika looked around the space. He had to admit it was homey, despite the eerie coldness of the surrounding cave.</p><p>“Would you like something to drink?” The boy asked.</p><p>“Some water would be wonderful. I’m parched,” Mika muttered, realizing just how dry his throat was. He was sure there was at least a handful of mountain dust coating his mouth.</p><p>The boy handed him a stone cup of spring water and sat observing him as he drank.</p><p>“So you need to go back with the grail or your life will be taken?” he guessed curiously.</p><p>Mika nodded solemnly. “I’ve been searching in their place for four years now. My brother was supposed to watch over my house, garden, and animals, but it’s a lot of work and he isn’t the most reliable person.”</p><p>“Are you worried that death and ruination has befallen what you left behind?” He asked.</p><p>“Yes,” Mika replied quietly. He felt like sobbing, curling up like a child before this stranger, but instead he clutched his cup tighter and bit his cheek.</p><p>“You wish your old life could have been paused so you can return to it once they let you go, right?”</p><p>“I guess so.”</p><p>“The grail can grant such things,” he said.</p><p>Mika stared at him with wide eyes. “But how? I didn’t even think it existed!”</p><p>“Not it, <em>he</em>.”</p><p>“What?” Mika’s head was throbbing with confusion and trying to keep up.</p><p>“My name is Yuuichirou, and I am the so-called holy grail. How does that information make you feel?”</p><p>“Uh, confused?” Mika stared at him suspiciously. “You can grant people immortality? I thought people were supposed to drink from a chalice or something.”</p><p>“Yes, I know what the tales say, but are legends ever really correct? I’m just a powerful sorcerer who sometimes grants wishes to those I favor.” He sighed in annoyance. “But I don’t like it much when people try to steal me.”</p><p>“I understand,” Mika said honestly. Being kidnapped was terrible. “My name is Mikaela,” he added. For some reason, the realization that the grail was a <em>person</em> made him both relieved and anxious at once. His quest was over, but he couldn’t exactly hand this gorgeous, thoughtful boy over to such cruel, greedy people. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself.</p><p>“Nice to meet you,” he said with a smile. “Just call me Yuu for short. I don’t talk to people much, but I’ve learned that my name can be a mouthful for some.”</p><p>“How long have you been up here?” Mika found himself asking.</p><p>“A century, I think. I lose track easily.”</p><p>This shocked Mika more than anything else. Yuu looked so young, and yet he was easily over a hundred years old! Being a sorcerer must’ve made him immortal. He idly wondered if it were voluntary or not, if someone would choose an eternal existence as a hermit. He decided not to ask.</p><p>“Will you tell me about your house that you left behind?” Yuu asked, as if coaxing someone into doing something difficult or unpleasant.</p><p>“It’s a small cabin that my ancestors built that’s so old vines had begun to pull at it. I think they wanted to take the wood back for themselves. And I had a beautiful grey stallion named Steelmane who could take me anywhere without exerting himself. I also had a garden behind my cabin with plants I had grown from seeds I bought at the market a town over for years. I had flowers, vegetables, fruits, and small trees that I was looking forward to caring for until I reached old age. I hoped to one day see the trees towering high over my head. I also had a loyal mutt who showed up on my doorstep one day, hungry and too tired to lift her body. I took care of her, and she never wanted to leave my side afterwards. I named her Mino. She even tried to fight when I was taken. I’m glad they didn’t hurt her. There were a lot of animals in the nearby woods I had taken care of at some point who were grateful to me, I think. I left food scraps and overripe spoils from my garden for them when I could. I miss them.”</p><p>“I bet you do. I’m sorry you were ripped from such a lovely life. Would you take me there if I fixed your current situation?” Yuu asked hopefully. “I’d help out as much as I could.”</p><p>“Sure, that’d be amazing,” Mika breathed, shocked for the third time in one conversation.</p><p>“I like you a lot, Mika,” Yuu said earnestly. Mika couldn’t recall anyone calling him the nickname in years. It made him even more sick of being detached from his home and past. He didn’t even think about what the confession might mean.</p><p>“I think you’re…” Mika trailed off. Gorgeous? Perfect? Thoughtful? Kind? Polite? Friendly? Magnificent? He couldn’t think of a word to compliment the boy in front of him, because he was beyond explanation. He was like a vast infinity of wonderful things that don’t have a name. Mika didn’t want to leave his presence. “Exactly what I need,” he found himself saying. There was something in his life that had been missing without him even knowing. He still couldn’t quite name it, but he felt in his heart that Yuu was the missing piece.</p><p>Yuu actually blushed. His cheeks were painted the faint hue of early petals, and he blinked at Mika a few times, letting what he’d said settle in. For once, someone wanted him because he was human, not because of what he had to offer. He didn’t know how to react besides allowing himself to like the boy who sat in front of him much more. “I hope you’ll still think so…” Once we live together? For eternity? Yuu didn’t know what he wanted to say. He just let the statement trail off into thoughtful silence. He wasn’t often rendered at a loss for what to say, but the blonde boy was so honest and compassionate that it made his heart gallop in his chest and his hands tingle. “We should probably go,” he added lamely, wondering when he last found himself sweating at a mortal’s presence.</p><p>Mika nodded with a serene smile on his lips. He seemed much more collected than Yuu in that moment. Without many belongings, Yuu let his gaze sweep over the cave one last time before winding down the pathway at a speed that was hard for Mika to match. He didn’t seem to need light to see where the tunnel went. They were soon standing on the narrow ledge that dropped off the mountain face below. Yuu sucked air in through his teeth. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he hadn’t been outside in a long while. No one had successfully taken him this far before (many of them met disastrous fates when they tried to take him by force). He squinted up at the sun and silently cursed it for hurting his dark-accustomed eyes.</p><p>After blowing out his torch and packing it in his small pack, Mika led the way down the spiraling mountain path. Yuu was surprised by how light the blonde’s footsteps were. It reminded him of how a cat might walk. He followed the other’s brisk pace easily until they were at the base of his former mountain. Turning to face it in full, Yuu said a silent farewell. Mika happily led him back the way he’d come from, chatting cheerily about his life before being forced to search for Yuu. Yuu listened eagerly, for he had been away from society for quite some time and it intrigued him. He began to dream of a life where he wasn’t constantly fending off greedy people. For one, he realized he would need a new outfit. His white toga wouldn’t fit in as well with the tunics and pants Mika wore. With a snap of his fingers, he tried out the new style and thought he enjoyed it. Once he got over his initial shock, Mika said that it looked good on him. This caused another blush to settle over Yuu’s face like a thin mask.</p><p>When they were close to the headquarters of the society, Yuu told Mika that he had the perfect plan and to trust him. Despite the anxiety writhing in his midsection, Mika decided to trust the sorcerer. Yuu walked into the large building as if he owned the place. Mika followed him meekly, unsure what his plan was besides walking directly into the place he definitely didn’t want to be. They were soon standing in the meeting hall facing the head of the organization: an older man with long silvery hair that might have once been blonde. He scrutinized Yuu.</p><p>“Mika, who is this?” He asked with a sickly-sweet tone, although his eyes were daggers of accusation.</p><p>“I’m the one who will ruin your life,” Yuu said darkly.</p><p>“Oh really? Mika hired a hitman?” He replied with amusement evident in his voice.</p><p>Yuu didn’t even seem to move, but the man was knocked out of his chair and a breeze flowed throughout the room. Mika’s eyes widened.</p><p>“Mika, look away,” Yuu said quietly.</p><p>Mika shut his eyes obediently, and he heard a sickening series of cracks. When he opened his eyes, the man was gone. The room felt eerily empty, as if the entire building had been vacated.</p><p>“That should fix everything,” Yuu muttered to himself.</p><p>Feeling frightened, Mika didn’t dare ask what had happened to the people in the organization. Yuu looked exhausted and slumped onto Mika. He hadn’t done something so drastic in a while, and his head was spinning and struggling to stay conscious. Mika wrapped an arm around him and helped him out the front door.</p><p>“We can take a ride to my home,” Mika offered. Concern shone in his blue eyes. Yuu could only manage a half nod.</p><p>The ride in the small wooden cart consisted of Mika holding Yuu close and wondering if he was overstepping boundaries. He just didn’t want the sorcerer to fall off of the jostling cart. Yuu didn’t seem to protest and fell asleep in his arms. He even snuggled closer to Mika’s chest unexpectedly. Mika stayed awake, despite his own fatigue, to make sure he stayed safely on the ride.</p><p>A few hours later, Yuu slowly opened his eyes and grumbled. His hair was disheveled and sticking out in all directions, but he didn’t pay attention to that. Instead, he began to panic because he was in someone’s arms. He almost screamed and flailed off of the cart until he saw a smile that was familiar but not enough to be from his past.</p><p>“I’m glad you’re awake,” Mika said warmly. He shuffled so he wasn’t holding Yuu anymore, feeling awkward that he’d held him so close.</p><p>Yuu stretched his cramped limbs out and almost complained that Mika let go of him until he remembered something really important: Mika wasn’t his lover. He wondered why it was so difficult for his brain to comprehend. It wasn’t like he’d decided Mika would be or anything, and yet he was inclined to think of him as his. He hardly even knew the boy. He hadn’t even had a lover in over a century, so he wasn’t sure where the notion came from. Maybe it was his good looks or his gentlemanly demeanor that was so unlike the men Yuu had met recently, but he worried that if Mika wished it to be so, he’d eagerly become his. The fact that he was going to start living with him only made it worse. Yuu then wondered if it would be a bad thing to belong to someone again.</p><p>Mika curiously watched Yuu’s face scrunch with conflicting emotions. He almost laughed, but something about the elegance in even the tiniest movement of the sorcerer’s eyebrows made him respect Yuu too much to make fun of him. Instead, he turned to watch the scenery for signs of familiarity. Nervousness bloomed in his stomach, sending its roots through his veins. He hoped his brother had taken care of everything for him. While he was distracted, Yuu took the opportunity to inspect the blonde’s face. The calmness he found there reminded him of an untouched pond. In the depths of his blue eyes, however, Yuu noticed a deep tiredness.</p><p>“You can sleep until we arrive,” Yuu offered. “I’ll make sure you make it there safely.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Mika said, sighing and relaxing some of the tension that was creeping up into his neglected body. He curled up on the wooden ground and shut his eyes. Yuu hated to see him with his soft skin pressed against a surface that could easily scrape or give him splinters, so he used a small amount of magic to place a soft blanket under Mika. He wanted to return the favor and hold the blonde to his chest, but with his conflicting emotions he feared what that would mean for him. He didn’t have to fret about it for long, because they arrived a little under an hour later.</p><p>Yuu paid the driver with golden coins and gently lifted Mika and the blanket out of the cart. He was grateful that the boy was a deep sleeper, because the state of his house would’ve broken his heart. Yuu stood at what once had been a gateway and stared at the rubble. It appeared to have burned down and begun to rot, and he was upset to find the remains of a medium sized dog on the porch. Wilted plants were overtaken by weeds, and vines were indeed tearing at what was left of the cabin. Yuu made sure Mika wasn’t going to wake up for a bit and gently set him down in the grass. He then set about fixing everything for him, angrily wondering where his brother had gone to. Leaving such a place to fall apart was a horrible deed, and he knew he wouldn’t forgive the unknown boy easily for such a thing. He was glad he was there to make sure Mika never found out.</p><p>First, Yuu revived the poor dog. No doubt, she had wasted away while waiting for her master to return. She happily bounded around Yuu once she was breathing again, and he pet her on the head before beginning the task of rebuilding the cabin. He put it back together before going through the inside and making the rooms as Mika would expect them to be. Then, he went to the stable and made the horse appear (apparently he had been taken somewhere else and half cared for). He fed the stallion, and the single meal magically erased any signs of emaciation. Finally, Yuu reinvented the garden so that it included all of Mika’s prior hard work and some added flowers that he hoped would make him smile. Vines harmlessly climbed up the wall of the cabin. Everything looked normal and lively except for Yuu. He collapsed with a soft thud against the dirt pathway.</p><p>When Mika opened his eyes, he frantically searched for Yuu. He was terrified that the boy had been kidnapped when he’d promised himself he’d keep him safe. Then, he found him passed out on the pathway that led to his home. He carefully lifted him and carried him through the front door. Inside, he rested his sleeping form on his old bed and waited for him to wake. Yuu eventually blinked his eyes open and looked up at him.</p><p>“Good morning,” Yuu mumbled, wiping his eyes. He couldn’t remember sleeping with Mika or even entering the house.</p><p>Mika laughed softly. “It’s night,” he corrected quietly.</p><p>“Oh,” Yuu said and settled back down.</p><p>“Do you like it here?” Mika asked.</p><p>“I do. I think living here will be nice.”</p><p>That seemed to make Mika happy. He nodded and stood to leave. Yuu watched the way he walked and moved as if it was his purpose in life to memorize everything about the blonde. He caught himself and looked out the window instead. Hopefully Mika hadn’t noticed.</p><p>Mika busied himself checking his cabinets for food. He found a surprising stock and wondered where his brother was. Much of the food would’ve gone bad if left for an extended period of time. He decided to bake a pie for Yuu and him to eat and celebrate coming to his house. While he prepared the ingredients, he had the strangest mental image of Yuu coming up quietly and wrapping his arms around his waist from behind. He was so startled that he almost dropped the apple he was peeling. It suddenly occurred to him that maybe he did want Yuu to see him in a romantic way. He glanced over his shoulder towards the bedroom as if Yuu could hear his thoughts and was judging him.</p><p>Going back to making the pie, Mika didn’t hear Yuu when he walked into the room and sat down at the table. After preparing everything, Mika placed the pie in the brick oven and turned around, patting the flour from his hands, and jumped when he saw Yuu was really there in the room.</p><p>Now it was Yuu’s turn to laugh. “Hello.”</p><p>“Hi…” Mika relaxed and looked at him.</p><p>“You were making pie, right?”</p><p>“Yes, I was,” Mika said awkwardly.</p><p>“Are you alright?”</p><p>“I’m fine. Are you?”</p><p>“Yeah, but you’re acting weird,” Yuu pointed out, propping his chin up on his hands.</p><p>Mika released a breath. “Do you believe that people can be attracted to each other after only knowing each other for a short while?”</p><p>Yuu hummed. “I suppose.”</p><p>“I can’t help but think that you’re someone I would want to be with in that way,” Mika muttered quickly, almost hoping the sorcerer couldn’t hear it.</p><p>“Me neither,” Yuu said, looking up at him.</p><p>“What should we do about it?” Mika asked. He hadn’t ever like someone the way he like Yuu before, and he was scared.</p><p>“Whatever you’d like. I make wishes come true when I believe in them,” Yuu replied.</p><p>“Um then could we try to be a couple? Does that bother you? I know you’re immortal and stuff.”</p><p>“It would be alright. On one condition: if things work out between us, you have to agree to let me give you eternal youth. I don’t want to lose another person close to me,” Yuu said.</p><p>“Deal,” Mika agreed with a nod.</p><p>“Now that that’s settled, what should we do?” Yuu asked.</p><p>“I don’t know. I’ve never done this before.”</p><p>“We could plan a date,” he suggested.</p><p>Mika nodded. “That sounds like a good start.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm so sorry this is late! I had a crazy couple weeks, so I had it mostly typed but couldn't post.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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